Remember When
by chellethebelle
Summary: What happens when former lovers reunite after not speaking for five years? Damon and Elena find out as they relive their past together and figure out where their story goes from here. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**AN: And I'm back with another AU/AH story! Wee! I love writing AH stories with Damon and Elena. And I especially love reading them. Anyway, I was inspired by the song We Owned the Night by Lady Antebellum, which is the song quote at the beginning. I was intrigued by the idea of telling two stories at once, kind of. Basically this will go back and forth between the present and the past, unveiling what happened to Damon and Elena way back when and what they will do when they come face to face after not speaking for five years.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>We woke under a blanket<p>

All tangled up in skin

Not knowing in that moment

We'd never speak again

The sun hit her face in a cruel awakening. Usually this is how she loved waking up, she relished it, but today was different. Today would change everything. It would rock her whole world and uproot the strong foundations she worked so hard to create. Today would ruin everything.

She felt his arm draped across her waist, and his warm chest resting against her bare back. One of his legs was trapped between both of hers. She wanted with everything in her to roll over and snuggle closer to him, wishing the morning could hold off for just a few more hours. That's what she always did, but again, today was going to ruin all of that. Her heart was aching. If only she could go back to last night, where for just a few hours she was able to push the impending doom out of her mind and just enjoy him and love him like she had done so many days before then.

She knew if she let herself have just a few more hours, or just one more time to hold him like she'd never let go, she'd give everything away. She wasn't quite sure how she was even going to look at him without giving it all away. She couldn't risk that.

So instead of siding with her heart, as she usually did when it came to him, she carefully extracted herself from his grip, being mindful not to wake him because things would only get worse. Tip-toeing around the room she slid into her clothes that were discarded in various places.

Without a look back, she made her way to his bedroom door, but she froze as she turned the knob when she heard his voice.

"Sneaking out on me?" His voice was thick from sleep, just how she loved it. Which only served to make her heart clench and break that much more.

Carefully turning around, she braced herself to see his face and hold back all the tears and pain that threatened to break free.

He was so beautiful. Every time she looked at him she was reminded of just how stunning he was. Especially first thing in the morning after a wild night of... you know.

His hair was perfectly out of place, the sheets were riding low on his hips, reminding her on what else she was leaving behind. His ice blue eyes bore into hers. She always wondered if they were some how bluer in the mornings. She'd swear by it, but he would always laugh and think she was crazy.

"Ya, I forgot I have a staff meeting this morning," she lied. She felt dirty for lying to him. She hadn't done that in ages. It was only in the beginnings of their relationship that she ever lied to him. And mostly she just lied about how she never had feelings for him and never would. Big, fat lie.

But here she was, reverting back to her old self. And not just her old self where Damon was concerned. Her old, old self. The self that had gotten into trouble more times than she could count. Her old self who lied more than she ever spoke the truth. It was a hard pill to swallow, she had worked so hard to come back from those days.

Damon smiled at her and she had to fight off a whole new wave of heartbreak. She loved when he looked at her like that, a little mischievous, a little bit of adoration, but his eyes full of love. Love for her.

"Well, you could always call in sick," he said with a sultry smirk playing on his lips. She found herself automatically smiling back at his blatant attempt to lure her back into his bed. And maybe if things were different, she would call in sick and shed her clothes and pick up where they left off last night.

Now she wished she would've taken him up on that offer the tons of other times he had suggested it. Even though he knew she would always opt for the responsible choice and go to work. And today she cursed herself for the threats hanging over her head. She had never wanted to shirk her responsibilities so badly before, but this was the one thing she couldn't afford to blow off.

"You know the answer to that," she said with a smile that took more effort than her heart wanted to give. Her heart had just plain given up.

"I'll see you later then," he said lazily. She took the small bone the universe had given her and waved goodbye and headed out the door.

"Elena," she heard him call from behind her as she was halfway through the doorway. She actually considered pretending that she didn't hear him, but she was a masochist and she found herself turning back to face him.

"I love you," he said quietly. He was wearing a look of pure love, one that showed her nothing but his love for her. A look that she didn't see often, but she always knew it was there. She felt the tears burning her eyes and she prayed that she was far enough away so he couldn't see her eyes glistening.

She smiled a small smile before quietly saying, "Love you, too," and quickly shutting the door behind her.

The tears started falling before she even made it out of his loft. The second she made it to the elevator and heard the doors ding closed, she let it all out. All the pain, all the humiliation, and all the regret she knew she would feel for the rest of her life.

She had walked out on the one real love she had ever had since her parents died. She had just walked out on the rest of her life, her future and she could never, ever look back.

She opted to walk the few blocks back to her own apartment, thinking the cool autumn morning would to good for the wounds she was nursing. She was wrong. Nothing would ever make this right. Not even turning around and burying herself back into Damon and pretending that she never considered leaving.

But she knew that would only serve to hurt them both even worse in the long run. After all, she was doing this for him. She was also doing this for herself, but it cushioned the blow thinking that she was actually doing the right thing by him, even though when he found out he would vehenmently disagree.

She got back to her apartment and looked around at the few boxes that had not yet been loaded onto the moving truck.

That's how her best friend, Bonnie, found her a half hour later. Still staring into space in the middle of her now empty apartment.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" She asked quietly. Elena turned to her friend who had been there for her through so much and now even in this mess she got them in, Bonnie still stood firm by her side.

"You know the answer. I don't have a choice," Elena sighed defeated.

"I know," Bonnie nodded, she tried to give her a sympathetic smile, but it was lost on Elena.

"You know you don't have to leave with me," Elena said. But she already knew why Bonnie was going with her. If the situation were reversed, Elena would leave with Bonnie because she wouldn't be able to live in this huge city without her best friend. Damon or no Damon.

Together they settled into the cab that would take them to the airport and Elena had one last look at the city that held the one man who changed her life forever.

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><p>Five years later...<p>

"_Paging __Doctor __Gilbert,__"_ the PA rang out and she knew she couldn't hide in the changing room forever. The ER and all it's emergencies awaited her. She always knew this is what she wanted to do. That maybe one day she could save some young girl's parents like the doctors at the ER were not able to do for her.

But some days, like this particular one, she didn't want to face the death and sadness that would inevitably come. Because sometimes, people just couldn't be saved. Not from themselves and not from the cruel hand that life had dealt them. Just like her parents.

She shook it off and mentally prepared herself for the day that lay ahead.

The first step out of the changing room, she was approached by a nurse.

"Late-middle aged man, myocardial infarction. He passed on the table, we need you to sign him off before we transport him to the morgue. Dr. Lockwood's shift ended before he could do it," she said as they quickly made their way down the hall.

"Any family with him?" Elena asked. She always liked to know what kind of crowd she was dealing with. Overprotective mothers, stressed out fathers, or scared children.

"One son, I'd say he's about 28-29-ish?" The nurse replied.

She made her way down the hall to his room. She took the medical files from the nurse to look them over so she could be sure the file matched the patient. She froze in the doorway of the room when she finally read the name.

"Giuseppe," she whispered. The man that ruined her life so many years ago was now lying dead in her hospital. Under her care.

"Elena?" Her name caught her attention. Not her name really, but the voice saying it. She knew that voice. She looked up to be ensnared in the ice blue gaze of the one and only love of her life. She felt that familiar feeling that she had worked so hard to suppress the past five years.

All she could manage to do in that moment was to breathe his name, "Damon."

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><p><strong>For those who are reading my other fic, Catching Teardrops in my Hands, I'll still be writing that, but this story is remedying my writers block for that fic, and vice versa. So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, please let me know what you thought!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**So the formatting on the website is all off so I hope this turns out alright formatting wise. Anyway, so I'm excited about this story so I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Sorry about the "BREAK" in a few places, once again, the formatting was all crazy and I wanted to post this. Enjoy!**

March 2006

Elena walked as quickly to class as possible. She couldn't help but wonder when spring would rear its head. She'd gladly welcome it. She was getting sick of jackets on top of jackets with a scarf, gloves, and a hat. She just wanted summer back. She'd gladly take the humid New York summers over this.

She slipped into class and headed straight toward her usual seat, noticing her lab partner was already there.

"Good morning, Elena," he smiled up at her. She smiled back, happy to finally have a friend in her class.

"Hey, Stefan," she replied. They had Microbiology together the last semester and when they signed up for classes they decided to take Human Anatomy and Physiology together.

They were both in their final semester of school before their applications for medical school went in. They were like long lost siblings, they clicked instantly and it worked for them ever since.

"How was your weekend?" Stefan asked.

"Like every other weekend, I worked and studied," she laughed in reply. Her days were a constant battle of time management. When she wasn't working, she was at her small apartment studying. Her best friend and roommate, Bonnie, was always trying to convince her to go out dancing with her, but Elena always refused. She knew if she took just a little time off to have some fun, her workload would multiply every minute she was gone. She just wasn't willing to risk it.

Work hard, play harder. And one day she would certainly play hard. Maybe when the semester ended.

"What are you doing on Friday?" Stefan asked and he had that look that she knew so well.

"Stefan," she sighed, "I don't have time for you to set me up with anyone else."

Stefan and his girlfriend Caroline had been constantly trying to set her up on double dates with them. Not that the guys they picked weren't nice and genuine, she just didn't have time for a boyfriend.

"C'mon Elena," Stefan whined, "It's not a date. I just want you to meet my brother."

She was already shaking her head, "I'm not going to meet your media-hungry, big headed brother. No way."

"That's just what the papers make him out to be," Stefan defended.

"So he's not media-hungry and big headed?" She shot back while she reached into her back for her notebook and pen.

"Your silence tells me everything I need to know," She laughed. Before Stefan could respond their teacher walked in the door.

"Ok class, last class we talked about the juxtamedullary nephrons and the part they play in filtration in the kidneys," the professor started. Elena breathed a sigh of relief that Stefan couldn't finish that conversation. She threw herself into note taking to forget the whole thing.

Damon Salvatore was a pig. She knew it. He was on the cover of all local tabloids and newspapers. He was notorious for his hard ass ways. He was basically just a big jerk who would stop at nothing to make sure his company stayed on top. He was a shark that would take anyone out at the first sign of weakness. Of course that did great things for his business, but nothing for his personal life.

The only women he seemed to keep around were mostly just there for the night then gone in the morning. He always made sure it was that way, but that didn't mean he didn't want something stable if he had the time. If he was honest with himself, he just didn't trust women to stick around. If his own mother couldn't love him, then why would any other woman?

So he stayed where he was comfortable, just bringing women home for the night and then never seeing them again. He was happy with that.

Which is why when his baby brother, Stefan, told him that he wanted Damon to meet someone, he was very skeptical. He wasn't sure how Stefan talked him into it, but here he was on his Friday night sitting at a restaurant on the upper east side.

"So who is this girl?" He asked Stefan, who had come alone. Shockingly enough. He was usually always toting Blondie around with him. He decided that since Stefan was happy that he wouldn't question that relationship.

Before Stefan could answer, the most beautiful woman came to their table. She was thin and had perfectly olive toned skin. Her brown hair was down and flowed over her shoulders. She had gorgeous brown doe eyes and the tight pencil skirt she was wearing made her legs look like they were a mile long.

"Hi, I'm Elena, I'll be your server tonight," she said cheerfully, but stopped abruptly when she looked up to see who was at her table.

"Hey, Elena," Stefan said happily. He was looking way too satisfied with himself.

"Hi, Stefan," she said, less cheerfully than before. She obviously knew that look too.

"This is my brother, Damon. Damon, this is my friend Elena. We have human A&P together," Stefan said.

"Hello, Elena," Damon said smoothly.

"Nice to meet you," she said politely, "Now what can I get you two to drink?"

The night could not have moved more slowly. Stefan's blatant attempt to set her up with Damon was not going as planned. Damon tried everything he had to flirt with her, but she was not having it.

"So Stefan thinks we need to go out on a proper date," Damon mentioned while she was refilling their glasses. Stefan had conveniently stepped out to call Caroline.

"He does, does he?" She said coyly, putting on her best flirtatious smile.

"MmmHmm," he responded, wagging his eye brows and smirking at her. She internally rolled her eyes. This guy was so dense.

"Well, it's too bad I have a strict no-douche-bags policy," she deadpanned and turned to talk away.

"I'll make you eat those words, you watch," Damon called out from behind her. She rolled her eyes before turning around to face him.

"I'd like to see you try," she said before leaving a stunned Damon behind at his table.

-BREAK-

He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe her snarky attitude, maybe it was that she was the first woman to flat out deny him, but he wanted her. He wanted her bad.

She was just so gorgeous. Those long lean legs, her big brown eyes, her long shiny chestnut locks, he wasn't sure which part of her was his favorite. To be honest, they all were.

"Damon... Earth to Damon...," he didn't realize his name was being called until the slam from his office door being shut pulled him out of his thoughts.

"What do you need Stefan?" He asked, feeling sudden annoyance toward his baby brother.

"I was just dropping a few things off for Dad," he shrugged, "You looked like you were in a pretty deep stupor. Perhaps about a certain brunette waitress you met last night?"

"You're obvious when you're fishing," Damon said.

"And you are transparent when you're deflecting," Stefan countered.

"Ok, I surrender. Yes, I was thinking about Elena," Damon sighed. He wasn't sure how or why, but he always ended up telling Stefan the truth. That's how they were. Their father became a complete ass after their mother died when they were young. So they had learned that they only had each other to count on in the world.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know. She made it pretty clear that she wanted nothing to do with me," Damon sighed again. He hated feeling rejected. He was so used to getting what he wanted that he had a hard time accepting defeat.

"Well I happen to know that she runs every afternoon in Central Park," Stefan said, trying to act nonchalant. Damon's ears perked up at this. He wasn't going down without a fight. Once she got to know him, she'd never be able to turn him down. He was sure of it.

Damon jumped up from his desk and walked past Stefan.

"Where are you going? I was joking about the running thing," Stefan called out from behind him.

"Wait, you mean she doesn't really run in the afternoons?" Damon asked, feeling silly for believing Stefan so quickly.

"No," Stefan chuckled, "She does really run. But you don't. You really think you're just going to buy a pair of running shoes and run her down?"

Relief swept through his body so strong that he didn't even register Stefan's dig at him.

"Ya, that's exactly what I'm going to do," Damon said before walking out of his office.

-BREAK-

For as much as she was getting sick of the New York winter, she loved the afternoons. They provided the absolute best weather for running.

Whenever something was happening in her life that was stressing her out or weighting on her mind, she always decided to take to Central Park and run until it sorted itself out or until it didn't seem so bad after all. It was the best way to escape life for a while. All she had to focus on was the sound of her breathing and the vibrations that shook her frame as each foot pounded into the ground.

Today was no different. The only difference was for the first time she was running because she was afraid. A certain blue eyed man was haunting her every thought. And as much as she wanted to hate him, she didn't. That was scarier than anything she'd faced in her recent years in New York.

He was an ass. He was arrogant. He was all over the papers and he probably loved it. He was nothing what she was looking for. Hell, she wasn't even looking for a man. She was too busy finishing her senior year of college. Pre-med at that.

She always thought when she did date, she'd find someone whose eyes lit up at the sight of her. Who loved her, not treated her like a prize to be won. Who treated her like an equal. Someone who could be the father of her children. Be a loving and hardworking husband. And that person was definitely not Damon Salvatore.

She could feel her legs striking the pavement with extra force. The more she tried not to think of Damon, the more she thought of him, then the harder she ran. Her lungs were burning with the crisp air.

She pushed herself along the familiar trail, not paying much attention to her surroundings. She was out running this trail so often she had it memorized and this time of the afternoon, there was hardly any people in the park, let alone this small trail. She let her mind wander along with her feet until she ran headlong into a hard object.

She barely had time to process what happened before she found herself flat on the ground tangled with the person she had just ran into. Her breathing was still coming out in strong bursts so she lay in the grass for a few moments to let her breathing calm before she apologized for plowing into the poor pedestrian.

Well that was until he spoke.

"Fancy meeting you here," a melodic voice sounded from above her. She opened my eyes to be bombarded with ice blue ones.

She groaned and pushed him off her and he rolled onto the ground next to her.

"What are you even doing here?" She asked as she brushed herself off and got up off the ground.

She looked down on him sprawled out on the grass, looking way too pleased with himself.

"Can't a guy just go out for a run?" He asked.

When she didn't answer he continued, "Need a jogging buddy?"

She tried to ignore him, but when he waggled his eye brows she spurted her best idea yet.

"Only if you can keep up," she said flirtatiously, knowing he was the type to never back down from a challenge.

"Oh, I can keep up," he said, jumping up off the ground.

She rolled her eyes before starting off on her trail again.

"So what are you going to school for?" Damon asked as he fell in step next to her.

"Pre-med," she answered.

"So you want to be a doctor," he stated.

"No, I want to be a chef," she deadpanned sarcastically.

Damon asked a few more questions before he was too winded to speak. They jogged in silence for a while before Elena decided she would put him out of his misery.

She slowed to a walk to cool down and she could tell Damon was in pain and exhausted.

"Probably should've broken those shoes in before coming out here," she said, trying to suppress her laughter. She could tell that he had just gotten those shoes and she could only imagine the kind of blisters he was harboring in there.

He looked absolutely miserable and she couldn't help but feel a little bad for him.

"I know a few other things in my apartment we could break in," he retorted. And all sympathetic feelings just flew out the door. She just rolled her eyes.

"When can I see you again," he called out to her as she started walking away. She stopped and couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She worked hard to suppress it before turning around to face him.

"You're the one who found me here, so I think you'll figure out a way," she said coyly before turning around and walking away.

-BREAK-

Present Day...

Damon.

_Drink._

She saw Damon. Damon Salvatore.

_Drink._

After five years, he had only gotten more beautiful. And here she sat in her kitchen, nursing a glass of wine trying to calm down from the day she had.

After she had seen Damon they had no time to talk before she had to get the body to the morgue and move onto the next emergency and for once, she was thankful for the horrid sights and sounds of the ER. It was the only thing that kept her mind from Damon's shocked face.

But now here she was in her quiet kitchen and it was all hitting her at full force. She always thought she was prepared for what seeing Damon again would do to her if that ever happened, but she was very wrong.

_Bang, bang, bang._

She nearly jumped out of her skin hearing the loud banging on her front door. She walked to the door and opened it without checking out of habit. Mystic Falls was a safe town, everyone knew everyone, so there was never a reason to be wary of the person on your doorstep. Until now.

Damon stood at her front door looking incredibly beat down and very drunk.

Before she could even speak, he stumbled past her and into the house before turning around to face her with heartbroken eyes.

"Why did you leave me?" He asked quietly. His words were a little slurred from the copious amounts of liquor she figured he had. He smelled like he bathed in it.

"You've been drinking," was her genius response.

He squinted his eyes and held his hand up to make a small space between his pointer finger and his thumb.

"A little," he smirked, looking awfully pleased with himself.

"Why don't you go sit on the couch and I'll get you some water," she said, trying not to upset him.

When she returned from the kitchen, a cold glass in hand, she was hit with the sight of Damon asleep on the couch. She was instantly thwarted with memories of watching him sleep many times, many years ago. She always loved when he was asleep, he always looked so young. It always seemed like the worries of the world were lifted off his shoulders just for that time.

She fought a small smile before covering him with a blanket, switching off the lights, and climbing the stairs to her room.

As much as she thought it would be hard to sleep with Damon just a floor below her, she had the best nights sleep she had in a long time.

She felt incredibly rested when she woke the next morning. She put on her robe before slipping out into the hall to check on Damon. She was almost to the stairs when she noticed something out of place. An open door.

Her heart dropped to her feet when she saw which door was ajar. She silently prayed that she would not walk in and see Damon in that room, but her prayers were in vain as she rounded the doorjamb.

There was Damon, his shoulders hunched like they did when he was upset, holding the only picture frame in the nursery.

"You shouldn't be in here," she said, trying to keep her voice even, but failing miserably.

"What is this, Elena?" He asked without turning around. She took in the room for the first time in a long time. She tried to shut it out and not think of it. Hell, she even tried to redo the room into an office or something. Anything but the empty nursery that haunted her everyday.

When she didn't answer, he trudged on.

"This picture? This child was born almost eight months after you left and you never bothered to tell me," he declared, only gaining steam as he continued, "You never thought I would like to know I had a child?"

He was almost yelling now and Elena was fighting a losing battle against the tears threatening to fall. Her heart felt like it was being torn right across the scars that she had worked so hard to heal.

"Damon, it's not what you think," she said quietly.

"Oh, so you cheated on me?" He bellowed.

Before she had a chance to answer, he slammed the frame down in its spot before storming past her, down the stairs, and out the door.

Elena could only stand there frozen in the wake of destruction. Her heart felt like it was bleeding out inside her. She finally let the tears fall as she folded in on herself and sank to the floor.

She cried out all the pains of the past five years, all the things she had to face alone. She cried out for her past with Damon, for the choice, the mistakes she made in leaving him.

She felt like the hard walls she had built up over the past five years had just been demolished in one fell swoop.

Finally, when her loud sobs calmed and the tears dried, she put everything back as it was, took one last look, and firmly closed the door vowing to never open it again.

**So what do you all think happened with Elena while she and Damon were apart, what about what made her leave? We'll be telling the present day story in chronological order, but the past will come in spurts just like when you see someone, you're suddenly reminded of a time with them, and the memories never come in order. So that's kinda where I'm going. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow. I am on a roll. Dang. Thanks so much for the reviews. You guys seriously fuel my inspiration. Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

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><p>September 2006<p>

She was miserable. She had been sick for almost a week and Damon still wasn't back from his business trip to take care of her. It was the longest time they would be apart since they started seeing each other. Of course, during her time of need he'd be out of town for the better part of two weeks and too busy to get a hold of to talk to for more than a few minutes.

That is where Bonnie stepped in. She had been a godsend the past week. She brought Elena all the ginger ale she wanted and held her hair when she vomited it up.

She was miserable and missing Damon bad. And Bonnie was a dutiful best friend and listened to her whine about missing him and whine about how crappy she felt. She had been sick a few weeks earlier with strep throat, so she figured this was it getting its revenge. But something was different, there was something she couldn't put her finger on. Usually by the time this thought crept into her mind, she was on her hands and knees emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"_Ok, Ginger ale, crackers, and apple juice. Anything else you need?"_ Bonnie asked through the speaker of Elena's phone.

"No, I think that'll be good. Thanks, Bon," Elena said, her throat still scratchy from her battle with the toilet earlier.

"_I'm just going to check out and I'll be back in a few,"_ Bonnie said before hanging up.

Elena relaxed against her pillows and tried to make up for the sleep she missed the night before.

She realized that she dosed off when the sound of the front door shutting jolted her from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked up to see a guilty looking Bonnie in her bedroom doorway.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" Elena asked with a wary voice.

She and Bonnie had been best friends since their days in their hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia. When they graduated college, they both decided to go to school in New York City and had shared an apartment together ever since they moved here almost four years ago. They had been through everything together and they could read each other like a book, which is why the look Bonnie was sporting had Elena worried.

"I may have gotten something else at the store that you didn't ask for," Bonnie said quietly, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Well, what did you get?" Elena said, getting impatient.

Bonnie walked over to the bed and set down the small brown paper sack in front of her. Elena grabbed it and opened it up to see two pregnancy tests inside.

"Please don't be mad," Bonnie pleaded.

"I'm not mad, just confused. You think I'm pregnant?" Elena asked shocked. That thought never crossed her mind. She and Damon were safe; she'd been taking her birth control pills religiously for the past year.

"It's just, you had strep a few weeks ago and I read somewhere that antibiotics render birth control pills useless," Bonnie let the sentence trail off. The implications hit her like a speeding bus.

She was pregnant. She didn't need the test to tell her that. The second Bonnie mentioned it; she knew Bonnie was right. Elena just didn't want to admit it. Or even consider it. She remembered that she was four days late on her period, she was never late. Maybe sometimes by a day, but never four.

"Oh my gosh," Elena mumbled before taking the tests into the bathroom with her. A few minutes later, she took a seat next to Bonnie on the bed while they waited. It was the longest three minutes of Elena's life. Even though she knew what the test would come up as, she still hoped that maybe it was a fluke. That she and Bonnie were freaking out for no reason.

After the clock signaled that her time was up, she slowly got up and walked into the bathroom and looked at the tests on the sink counter.

Positive. Both of them.

She stood there for what could've been hours, she wasn't sure. She let the steady stream of tears fall down her face until she felt Bonnie at her side, taking Elena's hand in her own.

And then she lost it. Her chest heaved with heavy sobs while tears streaked down her face. She felt like she was suffocating with the weight of this discovery. Her body was trembling and threatening to cave in on itself if not for Bonnie standing there, like a rock, holding her up. She let it all out, every fear that came running through her mind.

When she finally calmed down enough, Bonnie led her to her bed and held her hand. That's when Damon's face appeared in Elena's thoughts and unleashed a whole new flood of fears and heartache.

What would Damon say? Would she tell Damon? Would he even want to be with her any more once he found out?

"Oh my gosh, Damon," was all she could choke out between her wretched sobs.

Bonnie held her until the tears subsided and her shaking frame became steadier. She helped Elena wipe the tears off her face.

"What now, Bonnie?" Elena asked in a defeated voice.

"Well first, we need to tell Damon," Bonnie said.

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes once more at the mention of Damon's name. She knew he needed to know. But she was so afraid this would be the one thing that would make him walk away. And he could. He could just walk away from her and this baby, but she couldn't. She was stuck in this mess she accidentally made. Without Damon, she'd be entirely alone. She could always ask Bonnie for help, but Bonnie had her own life and it wouldn't be fair to burden her with that. She had no parents to fall back on, only an aunt who was happily married with her own family. Elena was alone without Damon.

"I can't do that," Elena said in a sad voice, "He won't want me anymore after he finds out and I can't blame him."

"Elena," Bonnie said in a stern voice, "Damon isn't going to walk away from this, he may be an ass, but he's not a quitter. He won't give up on your or this baby."

Her conviction had Elena's eyes swimming all over again. Bonnie didn't even like Damon that much, but she had more faith in him than Elena.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked in a broken voice, "How can I be a mom when I can't even handle my own life?"

And with that she let her tears fall in silence. So screaming, no sobbing, just silent aching tears for a life she'd never prepared to live and was now being thrust into it with no guidance.

"You'll do fine, I'll be here, and Damon will be here. You'll be ok, I promise," Bonnie said quietly, holding tight to Elena's hand, being the only anchor she had in this torrential sea of emotions.

"I need my mom," she whispered.

"I know," Bonnie said as a few of her own tears slid down her face at her friend's pain.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

He was livid. Absolutely livid. Pissed, even. Fucking pissed.

But above all, and as much as he hated to admit, even to himself, he was hurt.

She lied to him. She left him and lied about her pregnancy. For the past five years he has had a child living her life thinking her father didn't care. Didn't love her. Or didn't exist.

Of course maybe Elena moved on, maybe she had someone in her life that was fulfilling the role as father to her child. He knew she wasn't married, but something about that picture struck a chord with him. He knew he had no right to be jealous, Elena was allowed to move on with her life. Damon sure did.

But she left him. She left him with no explanation, no notice, and without a backwards glance. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to hate her so much and it only made matters worse that no matter how much he wanted to, he could never hate her.

Before he knew it he found himself banging on a hotel door. He knew it was early, but he needed this. He needed to get this all out before he exploded and there was only one person he trusted.

The door swung open revealing the face in Damon's thoughts.

"Damon? What are you doing here so early?" Stefan asked, looking annoyed until he took in his brother's face and knew something was very wrong, "What happened?"

"I have a kid," was all he said before Stefan opened the door and let Damon inside.

Stefan and Caroline had come down as soon as they received the news about Giuseppe. They had arrived the night before and Caroline did not look too pleased to see him so early when he entered the sitting area.

She looked like she was about to go off, until she too saw the look on his face and excused herself to let the brothers talk.

"Ok, what do you mean you have a kid?" Stefan asked, confusion written all over his face, "Start from the beginning."

"I saw Elena," Damon started after a deep breath.

"Wait, what?" Stefan exclaimed standing up and running his hands through his hair. A trait the brothers shared when they were stressed out.

"She works at the hospital they took Dad to when he passed," Damon explained, "And I kind of followed her home drunk and barged into her house. I crashed on her couch and in the morning I went to find a bathroom and I walked into the nursery with a picture of a baby that was born eight months after she left."

Stefan looked like he was going to have a stroke at any second. Just how Damon felt.

"You're sure it's yours?" Stefan asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure; you should've seen the look on her face when I asked if she cheated on me," Damon responded, "She looked like I punched her in the gut."

"So what happens now?" Stefan asked after a few moments of contemplative silence.

"That, my baby brother, is a great question," Damon said quietly.

* * *

><p>This day needed to go fuck itself. He was confused and hurt and bitter and no matter what Stefan- and even Caroline- said, he still didn't feel better.<p>

He sat in his hotel suite, the only hotel in Mystic Falls, and all he just wanted to leave. Just as much as he wanted to stay. Those wounds that never really healed after Elena left had been blasted apart in a few short days.

Seeing her again, hearing her voice, the way she walked, the way she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying something she'd regret, it was so familiar, yet so distant a memory that it was giving him a complex.

He'd moved on with his life after he learned she was never coming back. He moved up in his father's company, he threw himself into the parties, the social life of New York City. Yet he stayed out of trouble thanks to the habits that Elena helped shape. No matter what he did, it was because of Elena, for Elena, about Elena. In the years after she left that never changed, he would just try not to think about it- about her.

A tentative knock on the door pulled him from his silent musings. He figured it was his room service and jumped put to open the door. He was unprepared for the sight laid out in front of him.

There was Elena, shy, hesitant, yet fiercely beautiful, standing in front of him. It was breaking his heart and mending it all at the same time.

"Can we talk?" She said with a small smile.

And then he did what he always did, he shut everything out. He knew she'd see through it, but he wasn't ready to deal with this. He'd never be ready to deal with this.

"What do you want?" He said, blocking the doorway with his body.

He saw a flash of hurt across her eyes before she masked it easily.

"You don't have a child, Damon," Elena said softly, her eyes softening like they often did when she was upset.

"So I was right, you cheated?" He said harshly. She flinched at the words like she had that morning.

"No, I didn't," she said in a soft, but strong voice.

"Then whose nursery did I stumble into this morning? Whose baby was in that frame?" He bellowed.

She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She looked as though she was preparing for battle. With her and Damon, that's always how it was. They were explosive in every part of their relationship, the good and the bad.

"She was yours- ours," she corrected herself, before continuing, "Clara was her name."

"Was?" Damon's voice softened a little as the implications hit him with crippling weight.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! The present day sections are going to stay on the sorter side right now until we get more out of the past and into the future. I've got some pretty exciting things up my sleeves. The pregnancy arc is going to finish up next chapter. I would've finished it in this chapter but that would've been just way too long. <strong>

**Ps. Anyone see The Hunger Games trailer? OH MY GOSH! I seriously can't wait until March. AH!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, this is the end of the "baby arc" as I call it. ****I hope you enjoy! And thank you all so so so so much for reviewing. It means so much! Shout out to 123nenagirl cause she's awesome. And you should all read her fic "The List" I love it.**

**Ps I posted this once, then read through it and found some typos. Sorry! Now it's all better and back up for you guys!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>June 2007<p>

Ten hours.

Ten hours she had been experiencing the most painful thing she had ever gone through.

Labor.

Everything was fine earlier in the day, she'd been walking around, making sure things were set for the baby, packing her hospital bag. Then suddenly she was hit with a contraction so strong she almost fell over.

Fast forward ten hours later, there she was clenching her teeth so tight she thought they were all going to crack. But then, as fast as it came on, it started to subside, just like all the ones that came before it.

Fifteen hours.

She can't believe that she opted not to take the epidural, because that'd be awfully nice right about now. But she had no choice, she had to muscle through it. She found herself thinking about Damon. Would he have actually stuck around? Would he be here holding her hand, whispering soothing words to get her through every wave of pain?

A lone tear slipped down her cheek. Not because of the pain, but because she knew he would've been. He would've been there the entire time. He would've helped her through every heartache and every milestone of her pregnancy. He would've gone shopping for baby furniture, he would've painted the nursery, he would've assembled the baby crib, he would've done it all.

She missed him. She missed him every single day since she left and it only intensified with every month, every week, every day even. The what-if's haunted her in her dreams and in her waking hours.

She had even tried to go back, to screw it all and be with him. To grovel until he took her back, to tell him about the baby, to tell him she loved him and would never leave him. She knew she couldn't risk it.

"I think it's time to push," the nurse strolled in with a small army behind her.

Her doctor came into the room and briefed her on pushing procedure when the heart monitor started going crazy. And then the whole room was in motion, nurses were yelling things to one another, running in and out of the room, her body was being adjusted in the "pushing position" she learned in her birth classes.

There was so much panic in the room, yet no one bothered to tell her what was happening. Her heart started racing when she realized that something could be wrong with the baby, but she didn't have much time to think about that before she was pushing.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the sides of the bed, sweat was pouring down her face, and tears were slipping off her cheeks. She couldn't help but imagine Damon here, holding her hand and letting her squeeze it through her pain.

A few pushes later, she caught a glimpse of her baby girl before she was rushed away. Elena caught the arm of a nearby nurse before she could walk out.

"Where are they taking my baby?" She asked in a scared, quiet voice.

"It looks like she was tangled in the umbilical cord for quite a while before the monitors alerted us that something was wrong," She said in an uncomfortable voice.

"What's going to happen to her?" Elena asked.

"I don't know, I'll let the doctor come and fill you in as soon as they know," the nurse said quickly before she left.

And then she was alone again. She unconsciously ran a hand over her now-empty stomach and sent a silent prayer for her baby.

She wasn't sure how long she waited, hours, minutes, they all blurred together. She tried countless times to call a nurse in to find out the status of her baby, but no one knew a thing.

A tentative knock at the door sounded before her doctor entered the room. His face was somber. Elena's heart sank.

"What happened to my baby?" Elena asked in a shaky voice.

"We lost her," he said sadly. He went on to explain what exactly led them to this moment, but she wasn't listening.

Her baby was gone. The only connection to Damon she had in this world was gone. Her baby was gone.

She nodded as the doctor slipped from the room, saying that he'd call her emergency contact- which was listed as Bonnie- to be with her.

She sat in stunned silence, too shocked to feel anything, to do anything, almost too shocked to breathe.

A short while later Bonnie quietly slipped into her room, knowing exactly how Elena handled things. Knowing that she wouldn't want to talk, not now and maybe not ever, but that she would need a hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on.

Bonnie crossed the room slowly and sat next to Elena on the edge of her bed before taking Elena into her arms.

The second she felt Bonnie's arms around her, it all hit her. This was real. This was really happening. Her baby was gone. Her baby that she grew to love after so many months spent scared of the unknown was gone. She couldn't help but think that maybe she was being punished for not loving this baby right away, for being so afraid and so scared to do this alone, maybe it was because she left Damon and took her child away from her father.

Wretched sobs shook her whole frame. Pain that she had never felt in her life shot through her, more pain than she had experienced the past sixteen hours. She felt as if her heart was imploding in on itself. She felt devastated, hurt, angry, and most crippling of all, she felt guilty. As if some how if she had done something different that her baby would be ok. She would be screaming and crying and very much alive.

A few days later, with a prescription of anti-anxiety pills in hand, she was deposited at her home. Alone. She couldn't help but think that his wasn't the way it was supposed to be.

She tried to go through her normal routine, but she found it difficult being in so much pain. She decided to go about her normal bedtime routine, but made a small detour on the way.

She didn't know if it was out of guilt, or she just wanted to punish herself even further, but she slowly opened the door to the now-abandoned nursery. It was just the way she left it, only now, she placed the small pink frame that held the only picture of her baby girl, her time of birth, and her name. Clara.

Elena stood in the middle of the room, allowing herself to think of what she'd be doing if she brought her baby home with her. If she hadn't left Damon. She knew she couldn't afford to think like that, but her mind couldn't stop it.

Before she knew it, she felt the steel bands enclose across her chest making it harder and harder to breathe. She could feel her hands starting to shake and her heart start to pound. She knew the onset of an anxiety attack very well now that she had experienced so many in the hospital.

So she finally convinced herself to step out of the room, take her new medication, and let sleep wash away all her pain for a few hours.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"I don't know what to say," Damon's voice came out strangled.

"There's nothing to say, that was a long time ago and she's still gone. Nothing I can do to bring her back," Elena said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Damon asked.

"I was scared," she said pathetically.

"And you never thought I'd like to know I had a daughter?" He said, his voice getting louder and stronger.

"No, you don't get to put this on me. You can blame me for leaving, for never telling you about the pregnancy, but you do not get to be upset about losing her. I didn't even get to hold her. I was alone the whole time. That moment has haunted me for the past five years. I will take the blame from you for all of it, but not for this. Only I can blame myself for this," She said passionately, the tears that were burning her eyes were now streaming down her cheeks.

They stood in silence for a few heavy moments before either one of them broke it.

"Take me to her," Damon broke the silence with a request she never thought she'd hear in her life.

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips before she nodded.

"Ok," she said breathlessly.

Not twenty minutes later they stood silently in front of a small headstone.

She tried to figure out what he was thinking, but he stood perfectly still, his eyes never leaving the tiny burial plot.

"I wouldn't have abandoned you," Damon said quietly, breaking the still silence around them.

"What?" She said, caught off guard.

"If you didn't leave, I wouldn't have left you because you were pregnant," He explained in a soft voice.

She turned to look at him and his eyes were glistening. Something she had only seen once before.

"I know," she responded. It was the truth. She always knew he'd stick around and be responsible. She knew he'd make a great father, even if it wasn't in his plans for them.

"Then why did you leave?" He asked. As much as she wanted to push him away and leave him in the dark about the biggest mistake of her life, she realized that she was being handed a second chance. A chance to mend what she had broken.

"It's a long story," she said lamely.

"Elena," Damon warned, she knew that tone. It was the tone that said he saw right through her trying to deflect the question.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bracing herself for the moment she'd been hoping she'd get, but now that it was here, she was nervous. She was so afraid of how he'd react once he knew the truth.

"How about I tell you over some dinner?" She asked hesitantly.

Surprisingly, he smiled.

"Ok," he agreed, "That sounds good."

* * *

><p><strong>I was shocked at Damon's actions in this chapter. I had a totally different plan, but turns out he knew better. My plan for the next chapter is to have a fun chapter before we get into the heavy stuff again.<strong>

**Thanks for making the time to read this! My goal is to get all of the people who added this story to their favorites/alerts** **to review. Call me shallow, but I've always wanted one of those stories with like over a hundred reviews. Anyway, thanks for reading, again. And thanks in advance if you reviewed! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Holy crazy response, Batman! Thank you all so much for your kind words and for alerting/adding this to your favorites. I'm astounded and so happy you guys are loving this just as much as I am!**

**I'm also happy that I wasn't the only on surprised by Damon's reaction in the last chapter. I did NOT expect that at all when I sat down to write it, but Damon had other ideas. Turns out, that's my favorite chapter. **

**This is a long fun chapter and I hope you enjoy Damon and Elena's first date...**

* * *

><p>April 2006<p>

Sometimes she wondered if she'd be better off dropping out of school and becoming a full time waitress. At least she knew she was good at it. And she had impeccable patients when it came to customers that were way too forward with her. She wasn't sure if she'd be good in the medical field. Sure, she loved it and became extra committed to that as a profession after she lost her parents, but it was a scary and unpredictable field.

She finished up her regular routine before heading out for her early evening shift at work. It was the first time in ages she had the early shift on a Friday night and she was very much looking forward to a quiet night in her sweats watching movies and maybe reading ahead in her classes.

She grabbed all her purse and had her heels in hand to put on once she arrived at work, and opened her front door. She was shocked to see a pair of wide blue eyes staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a surprised voice. Her heart immediately picked up its pace in response to his presence.

He stood frozen with his fist raised and ready to knock. Once she spoke he was pulled from his state and immediately placed his arm by his side. A look of embarrassment crossed his features, but was quickly masked when he put his smirk firmly in place.

"Go out with me tonight," he said.

"No," she said without hesitation and pushed past him to lock her apartment door. She tried to push aside her body's reaction to him and was barely successful.

"Wait, what?" He said surprised as he followed her down the stairs, "Why not?"

"Well first, you didn't ask," she started, "And second, I have to work."

"Ok," he sighed, "Will you go out with me after you get off work?"

"No," she repeated. She smiled a little when she could hear him huffing behind her.

"Why not?" He asked again once they got outside, he grabbed her arm gently to stop her from walking away from him.

"Because I don't want to," she said simply, "I have to get to work."

She shrugged him off and walked away, pleased at the look of surprise that crossed his face.

A half hour later she was changing her shoes and clocking in for the evening. She actually enjoyed waitressing, unlike most of the people she worked with. She was good at it. She always made her customers feel like friends, which was not easy in the fancy restaurants of the Upper East Side. She always made it out with some hefty tips that made even the worst of shifts worth it.

Tonight, the time flew. The early evening shift was always busier than the closing shifts. She was enjoying herself being so busy.

"Elena!" Came the hostess, Anna's, voice, "You have the hottest guy who requested to be seated in your section."

"He requested to sit in my section?" Elena asked surprised. That never happened.

Anna pointed him out and Elena found the raven-haired man she was pointing to. Even seeing the back of his head, she knew who it was.

"What do you want, Damon?" She hissed at him after she marched straight over.

"Is that how you greet all your customers? We may have to work on that," he smirked.

She was infuriated. How could someone so good looking be so utterly obnoxious?

"Damon," she warned.

"Ok, ok, put the claws away, kitten," he said in mock surrender with his hands in the air, "I just came here to see what time you got off so I could ask you to accompany me to dinner."

For a moment, Elena was stunned into silence.

"Are you deaf or just plain stupid?" She asked.

"Ouch. And it's called being persistent," Damon said, totally unaffected.

"I'm not going out with you and there is nothing you can do to change my mind," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving hers and against all her strength, her heart started beating a little faster. He walked close to her like a predator stalking its prey.

"I'm sure if I asked all the nice folks in this restaurant you'd change your mind," he threatened.

She narrowed her eyes, ready and willing to play with fire. She took a deliberate step forward and poked a finger to his chest.

"I'd like to see you try," she said quietly, "Oh, and if you didn't know, that was me calling your bluff."

They stood there, eyeing each other down, for a few moments before Damon took a step back, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Suit yourself."

Then he took a few steps away from her and turned to the main floor of the restaurant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special event for you tonight," Damon called out, effectively getting the attention of every living thing in the room. The walls started to feel like they were closing in and suddenly Elena was having a hard time breathing, but she was frozen, completely unable to do anything to stop him.

"She seems to be having a hard time agreeing to go out with me and I was thinking that maybe you fine folks would change her mind," Damon's voice continued to float in her ears.

"Ok I'll go out with you!" She called out to him when she finally snapped out of her trance.

"No, no, Elena. I want you to go because you want to," Damon said, an amused look on his face matching all the amused faces in the restaurant.

"I want to!" She said frantically, trying anything to shut him up.

"Want to what?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"I want to go out with you!" She hissed.

"Ok, ok, we'll go out," Damon said, putting up his hands in surrender. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"That was low," She snarled at him when he walked back over to her.

He ignored her comment and just smiled before asking, "What time do you get off?"

"Eight," she said in an annoyed voice.

"Ok, I'll see you then!" Damon said before he left the restaurant.

She was absolutely mortified the rest of the night. She received comments from all her co-workers and some of her customers. However, some of them gave her large tips because of her "ordeal".

Eight o'clock came sooner than she was ready for as she hung up her apron and took her stuff out of her locker in the back room.

Damon was waiting for her when she walked out of the front door of the restaurant. He looked amazing. He was wearing jeans, a dark blue button up shirt, and a black blazer. His eyes were shining brighter than she'd ever seen him, which could've been because of the genuine smile on his face.

To her dismay, she found herself smiling back at him.

"I'm underdressed," she said, angry at how disappointed she sounded.

"Actually, you're dressed perfect," he smirked at her before opening the door to a black Mercedes.

She slid across the cool leather of the seats and he dropped into the seat next to hers.

"You have your own driver?" She asked skeptically.

"You forget who I work for," he said with a smirk, but something about it didn't hit his eyes.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up to one of the nicest restaurants in New York City, she knew because she had applied there and was firmly rejected after her interview.

She looked out the window and saw the canopy covered entrance to the high class restaurant. There were people milling about in front of the doors and she wondered if that was a regular occurrence on Friday nights.

Damon opened the door and stepped out before reaching a hand in to help her out. She hesitantly took it and the minute she rose out of the car, all those people milling about pulled out their cameras and flashes started blinding her every way she looked. She heard Damon cursing softly and pulling her along into the restaurant. She kept her eyes on the ground while Damon battled through the walls of paparazzi before they found refuge in the restaurant.

"I am so sorry," Damon said once they were inside, "They are going to be taking pictures of us all night."

As if to prove his point, flashes started coming in through the windows. And then an idea dawned on her.

"I have an idea," she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him through the restaurant.

"Where are we going?" He asked as she pulled him through a door clearly labeled "Employees Only".

"I had an interview here once and I remembered there is a back door right through here," she explained as they burst through another door and found themselves in an empty alley.

She ignored his questioning as she dragged him through the alley and expertly hailed a taxi before pushing him in and climbing in after him.

"Wow," was all he said after she rattled off an address to him and sat back in her seat.

She just smiled in return.

"Do you often find yourself outrunning the paps?" He asked.

"No," she laughed, "But I have had to outrun bad dates."

* * *

><p>He found himself so comfortable in her presence. She was incredibly easy to talk to and he couldn't help but feel please that she was starting to relax around him.<p>

He couldn't believe that the paparazzi knew he'd be at that restaurant tonight. He was livid, because he sure didn't tip them off. Elena surely wouldn't go out with him again when she saw herself listed as Damon Salvatore's New Woman in the papers tomorrow. So he decided he'd at least have fun with her tonight, in case she never wanted to see him again.

They pulled up to a small hole in the wall place and Elena dragged him inside to order their food. It took a total of about seven minutes for their order to be called before she was dragging him through a small door and into an elevator.

"You aren't taking me somewhere secluded and quiet so no one can hear me scream when you murder me, right?" He asked.

She stared at him for a solid minute before she cracked up laughing. She was so beautiful when she laughed like that. He mentally made a note to do that more often.

She finally calmed down as the elevator dinged at the top floor and she dragged him out and up two flights of stairs before bursting through one last door.

He found himself on the roof. There were lights strung about and a makeshift bed in a corner with pillows and blankets.

"What is this?" He asked in awe.

"I discovered this beauty when I first moved to the city and I wasn't used to the noise yet. I would come here to eat all the time and the owner overheard me complaining about not having a quiet place to study. He told me I could study up here and now it's my favorite place in New York," she explained as they sat on the bed to start into their food.

"So tell me about yourself," he asked. A flash of surprise touched her features before she contemplated her answer.

"I'm from a small town in Virginia, I moved here to go to NYU for pre-med. I graduate in May. And that's about it," she said simply, "What about you?"

"I was born and raised in the city. My father has raised me to take over the company. I went to school at Columbia and graduated with a degree in advertising," he said.

"How do you feel about the paparazzi always being around?" She asked quietly.

"I hate it," he said, "They are everywhere. I know I've made mistakes, but I should be allowed to make those mistakes without the nation knowing."

He had a hard time reading her reaction.

"I never thought about it like that," she admitted.

"Most people don't," he smiled, "But people can't get enough of this face."

He broke the heavy tension easily. That's what he was good at. He didn't do heavy and he wondered how he even ended up in a conversation like that with Elena. With most woman he'd stop it before it began, and he usually was around women who didn't care.

Something was different about this one. She was happy, she was beautiful, and she was quick. He knew she was someone he wanted to see again and that scared him. What if she didn't want to see him? What if he put himself out there and got shot down? He had spent years making sure he was never in this position. He went from one night stand to one night stand where no feelings were ever involved and now here he was on a first date with a girl he wanted to see again and again. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The taxi ride to Elena's apartment was enjoyable. She always had something to say, but yet she would listen to everything he said just as actively.

He was in over his head with this girl after only one date. He wasn't sure how he'd handle rejection from her.

They got out of the cab when it arrived at her apartment and he walked her to the door of her building.

"Thank you for coming tonight, I know I guilted you into it, but it was worth it," he said with a wink.

"I actually had a good time. Thank you, Damon," she said with a small smile. Then she turned to go inside.

"Wait," Damon called and she turned around, "When can I see you again?"

This was it. His hands were a little shaky and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"You're the one who found me, I'm sure you can figure something out," she returned his wink before disappearing into her building.

He didn't realize he was smiling until his face started hurting.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"Do you remember our first date?" Damon asked out of nowhere.

Elena smiled thinking of it as she fussed over her spaghetti sauce.

"When we got stalked by the paparazzi?" She laughed. His laughter joined hers.

She turned to face him as she refilled her wine glass.

"I swear I thought you'd never speak to me again after that," he admitted.

"You're face was priceless when they started taking pictures," she snorted.

Companionable silence fell over them as Elena finished up their meal. She knew the heavy conversation was coming, but she was enjoying their easy banter. It was incredible how easy it was for them to slip back into it as if the past five years had been a mere five minutes. How she wished that was the case.

He stood up to help her set the table and when his hand brushed against hers, she felt the once-familiar jolt of electricity. When their eyes locked, she knew without a doubt that he felt it too. He moved just a little too quickly after that and she was afraid that their fragile friendship they created would crumble at any second.

They sat and ate in silence for a few moments and she knew her free pass was up. She took a deep breath and steadied herself for the moment that she never thought she'd have.

"What happened to us?" She asked quietly. Damon stopped eating for a few moments before he answered.

"You left," he stated simply.

"And it's one of the worst mistakes I've made in my life," she said earnestly.

"Then why did you do it, Elena?" He asked.

"I was blackmailed," she responded.

* * *

><p><strong>Most of you guess that Elena was blackmailed, but no one has guess what she was blackmailed with... hmmm. Well, we'll find out next chapter before we start covering a LOT more of their backstory and then move onto covering MUCH more of their present day story. <strong>

**Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for being such wonderful readers! I'm excited to see what you guys think of this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Thanksgiving to all you lovely readers (well to my American readers. To everyone else, it's just a happy day! haha). Seriously, the response to the last chapter had me floored. Thank you all SO SO much! Well I worked around all our cooking and baking to write this for you all. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>September 2006<p>

"No," Damon groaned as his arms came around Elena like a steel cage.

"Damon, I have to get up. I have a staff meeting," she giggled as she tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp.

"They can fill you in on it later," Damon mumbled, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck and placing gentle kisses along her shoulder.

She automatically pressed her back against his bare chest, amazed that such simple gestures could make her forget her own name.

Then she remembered the time and she knew she had to face the day.

She turned in his arms to be startled with his stark blue eyes. They never ceased to catch her off guard. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but lean in and press her lips against his.

His arms pulled her flush against him as he tried to deepen the kiss, which Elena complied fairly easily. She never really had much defense against Damon. Her hands crawled up his chest and tangled in his hair as he rolled her underneath him. They lay there for several minutes just basking in the love they had for each other. It was addicting the way he kissed her. She couldn't get enough of it, but she knew she needed to get out of this bed before he kept her in here for another few hours.

She pulled away and Damon growled at the loss of contact, to which she chuckled.

"I really do have to go," she smiled at his pout before he rolled off her.

"Party pooper," he grumbled as she got out of bed and started gathering her clothes.

"I'll call you later," she smiled and slipped out of his room and exited his loft.

She decided the weather was finally cool enough to walk back to her apartment, only now she had to power walk thanks to Damon's persuasive lips.

She was almost to her apartment when a black limo pulled up along the curb next to her.

"Elena," she heard her name called in a deep voice that sent shivers down her spine.

She turned to see Giuseppe's cold, hard face sticking out of the window of the limo. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for whatever he had in store for her now.

"What do you want?" She asked harshly.

"I believe when you find out what I want, you'd be a lot kinder to me, Ms. Gilbert," he said menacingly, "Why don't you join me?"

The door of the limo opened and she knew she had no choice but to follow orders with him.

She slid onto the smooth leather of the limo and closed the door behind her.

"Now, do you understand Ms. Gilbert, that you have had an adverse affect on Damon's work?" He asked.

"I know he has taken some time off to spend with me. Much needed time off," she replied.

"Now, I understand you are harboring several secrets that could, in fact, make this situation even worse than it is," he said, his eyes narrowing in on her. Like he was a predator going in for the kill.

Her heart stopped. What could he possibly know about her?

"I know you are thinking what could I possibly know. Well, I know enough that could ruin you and Damon in one fell swoop," he practically snarled.

"If you think you know anything that would take Damon away from me, you are wrong. He loves me," she defended.

"No, they may not ruin your relationship directly, but they will ruin his career. And we both know what his career means to him," he raised his eyebrows.

She knew what Damon's job meant to him, as much as he tried to play it off that he despised working for his father. She knew why he really did it.

"Just get to the point, Giuseppe," Elena snapped, she was quickly losing her patience.

"I happen to know you are pregnant and that Damon is still in the dark on this fact," he stated.

She gasped. She tried to remain indifferent the whole conversation, but this revelation had her reeling.

"How do you know?" She whispered.

He chuckled and it made her feel sick.

"I always have Damon's women checked out and my P.I. happened across Bonnie in the store buying items for a sick Elena and picking up pregnancy tests on the way out," he said simply, as if he was describing the weather.

"That doesn't prove anything," Elena said pathetically.

"No, it doesn't, but your reaction does," he smiled and her heart sank.

"What do you want?" Elena snapped.

"I want you to disappear. You are doing nothing for Damon's career and he needs to focus on it, not the girl he knocked up," Giuseppe said.

"You think that you can hold my pregnancy over my head? That I am that desperate to keep it a secret from him? Then you're wrong," she half-shouted.

"I thought you would say something like that," he said, "Which is why I had my P.I. investigate you further. I happen to know you lost your parents a few years ago and that sent you on a downward spiral. Drinking, partying, and slutting it up."

Her heart sank with every word he spoke. He knew. How could he possibly know? She could feel her eyes well up with tears.

"I also know that you ended up in military school for the remainder of your regular schooling," he continued, "I also know the events that led to you being forcibly sent to said school. And if I did read correctly, you did not go quietly."

"You're a monster," she spat at him, her tears streaming down her face.

"I may be a monster, Ms. Gilbert, but I will not let my son's career crash and burn because of your mistakes. When people find out about this, which they will if you don't do as I say, his career will be ruined and so will your relationship," Giuseppe threatened.

"What do you want me to do?" Elena asked through her tears.

"I want you to leave, disappear. Cut off all contact from Damon and never return," he said.

She didn't know if her heart could break any more.

"Don't worry, Ms. Gilbert, I'm not going to leave you high and dry. You will receive a million dollars in your account in a few days. You will also receive an acceptance letter to Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, the tuition for which has been paid for. You may choose to live where ever you wish, as long as you never contact Damon again," Giuseppe explained.

"Bonnie will also receive a million dollar advance in her account to leave with you. See? I'm not a complete monster," he finished.

Elena sat there letting the information settle on her shoulders. She was completely rendered speechless.

"How much time do I have?" She asked quietly.

"I believe two weeks would be ample amount of time," Giuseppe allowed, looking as if he was the Messiah for allowing her so much time.

She nodded and exited the limo. She stood frozen on the sidewalk while she watched it drive away.

As soon as she got into her apartment, the numbness wore away and left crippling pain and grief in its wake. She barely made it into her room before she collapsed in on herself and let the soul-shaking sobs take over her body.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"I never wanted to leave you, Damon. I had this fantasy in my head that I'd tell you I was pregnant and we'd get married and be happy, but Giuseppe had other plans," Elena confessed.

"What did he threaten you with? You said he had information on you that no one had," Damon asked.

Elena took a deep breath, knowing that when she told Damon the truth, that she'd have to tell him the whole truth.

"I was pretty messed up after my parents died. I started drinking and partying. I had no regard for anyone but myself. All I wanted to do was numb the pain of being orphaned. I was angry, hurt, bitter, I felt everything and it was miserable. I threw myself at guys and gained the reputation of the school slut. I had no friends, just like I wanted it. I was at a party one night and some girl thought I slept with her boyfriend. I got kicked out after some serious public humiliation. I had drinks thrown on me. So I grabbed a bottle of Vodka and left. On my way home I hit something, I told myself it was a deer, but later I found out I killed a man. The only way to avoid jail time was to agree to military school," she explained and surprisingly it felt wonderful to finally unload this onto someone.

Damon just stared at her with blank eyes. She waited and waited, but he didn't speak and for a moment she wondered if he was breathing.

"Damon, please say something," she whispered. His eyes flashed to hers and they were swimming with emotion.

"I don't know what to say, Elena," he said quietly, "This whole time I thought you just up and left me for a free ride through med school and now you lay all this on me. I just don't know what to think. This is too much."

He stood up and ran his hands through his hair.

"Damon," Elena called as he started pacing.

"No, Elena. I just can't. This whole time I've been living thinking that you were so easily bought off, that you never really loved me and now I find out that it's the exact opposite that I've been told the past five years and I don't know how I'm supposed to react!" He was yelling now.

"I know that. You think it's been easy for me, Damon?" Elena stood up, her tone catching up to his.

"I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth," he snapped as he walked right up to her. He was invading her personal space just like always and her heartbeat was responding rapidly because of it.

"Well you are acting like that! You are acting like I never cared, like I never loved you. For five years I have regretted that decision. It wasn't because I didn't love you. Hell, I still love you," Elena yelled out.

Damon froze in his tracks and all anger drained from his eyes, leaving the vulnerable young man that she met so many years ago.

"What did you say?" He said quietly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"It was never because I didn't love you. I loved you, and I have never stopped loving you," Elena said with a quiet conviction, "It's not over for me."

Instead of speaking, Damon crossed the room and closed the distance between their bodies before pressing his lips to hers. Her body was on fire. Every part of her remembered the feel of him pressed against her. The way his arms wove around her waist to keep her to him. Her hands trailed up his chest and tangled themselves into his jet-black hair.

His tongue ran along the seam of her lips before they parted on their own accord to let him in. She couldn't get enough of him and soon she was working her way down the buttons of his shirt. She ran her hands up his bare chest before she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. His shirt was barely off before his hands were at her waist, pulling the material over her head.

He backed her into the nearest wall and his hands ventured down to her thighs, lifting her up. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. His lips left hers only to trail down her neck and across her collarbone and down the valley between her breasts.

He moved them up the stairs and into the room he saw her come out of the other morning. He walked them to the bed and gently laid her on it before covering her body with his own.

They had each other memorized and even five years later, they worked against each other and with each other all at the same time. Every touch of Damon's skin against hers lit a fire along her skin.

He felt like he was drowning in her, yet she was his lifeline all at once. He couldn't believe how much his body responded to her, even after all these years. It was liberating. His memories of her did not do her justice. She was softer than he remembered. She smelt better. She drove him more crazy than he had ever remembered. He couldn't move fast enough, yet he wanted to make it last.

He couldn't imagine that he'd lived the past five years without her. He couldn't believe he had survived. Now that he had another taste of her, he wasn't sure how he would ever be able to live without her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes you all guessed that Giuseppe had blackmailed Elena, but I hope I surprised you with the information. I was inspired by the Season 1 finale of 90210 (I think it was season 1...). Once again, thank you for all your reviews. You guys are amazing and they make me so happy. I hope you all liked the chapter, because I really enjoy how it came out. Our story is going to get several twists and set backs, so prepare yourselves. I imagine that this story will total around 16 or 18 chapters in length. I'm not good at estimating, so we'll see how accurate that is. Haha! Have a great day you guys!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry this took almost a week to update! I had it written mostly and needing to be edited, but of course life got in the way. So here it is and it's a beefy 3,000+ words. Wee!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate them! (I'm behind on my responses, I'll get to them, I promise!)**

**Enjoy Chapter 7! **

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><p>April 2006<p>

"Are you sure I look alright?" She asked, fidgeting with the new dress she bought just for tonight.

When Damon asked her to accompany him to Stefan and Caroline's engagement party, she'd been floored. They had only been on that one date and had just gotten together for coffee another day.

"Would you stop worrying. I told you, you look beautiful," Damon said with a small smirk that woke the butterflies once again.

She was so nervous, she'd only ever been around Stefan, Caroline, and Damon. She didn't know how things worked in their circle. She figured people would look down their nose at her if she so much as breathed the wrong way.

She glanced at Damon as they "worked the room" as he called it. He looked so good in his suit. It was tailored to fit him perfectly and Elena was having a hard time keeping her eyes off him. As much as she wanted to fight her feelings for him, she was slowly losing that battle. He was arrogant, sure, but he was also witty and funny. He listened to what she said and responded to her questions honestly. She was beginning to think his arrogance was just a front.

He smiled when his eyes met hers and her heart started that damn fluttering again. Somehow his eyes looked brighter, she wasn't sure how that was even possible, but she couldn't stop gazing into them.

"Would you like a drink?" Damon asked, placing his hand on the small of her back.

"Yes, thank you," she replied.

She watched him walk away, appreciating the sight of his back in his suit.

"You are gawking," Caroline's voice drifted into her ears causing her to jump slightly.

"I am not," Elena defended after she took a moment to calm her breathing. Caroline's smile only got brighter.

"You are totally crushing on Damon Salvatore!" She squealed. Elena jumped to try to quiet Caroline's excited squeals.

"Caroline, hush!" She whispered harshly, looking around to make sure nobody heard her. She was still beaming when Elena uncovered her mouth.

"So, how does it feel to be engaged?" Elena asked excitedly, deciding it was safer to change the subject. Thankfully, Caroline's face lit up even further.

"Oh my gosh!" Caroline squeaked, "It's amazing! Stefan is so amazing!"

Elena listened as Caroline gushed about the ring, the proposal, and her tentative wedding plans. Before long she was flitting off to show off her ring to someone else.

Elena took a deep breath of relief as Caroline left. Elena didn't dislike Caroline in anyway, just sometimes she could be a bit... overbearing. She could only be taken in small doses.

"Too much Caroline for you?" Came Damon's voice in her ears as a Champagne flute appeared in front of her. She took it graciously and downed a few sips before turning toward Damon.

"Hey," he smirked. It was the smirk that made her blood boil. In the best ways and the worst ways.

"Hi," she replied, an uncontrollable smile tugging her lips.

"What was Caroline yelling about over here?" Damon asked. Elena could feel her eyes want to bug out of her head.

"Oh nothing, just gushing about the engagement," she said, waving her glass around, attempting to be nonchalant.

"MmmHmm," Damon hummed, his eyes raking over her body. She felt a sudden rush of warmth in her stomach.

"Damon," came a cold, hard voice from behind them. She could feel Damon's body tense up.

They turned together to see a regal-looking man. He was dressed exceptionally and Elena instantly recognized the man as Giuseppe Salvatore. He was a hard hitting, tough business shark. He was the ruthless CEO of the Salvatore Advertisement Company.

"Hello, Father," Damon said, his voice suddenly void of the light it had held just a few moments before.

"I didn't know you were bringing a date," he said, his eyes flashed to her and she fidgeted under the scrutiny.

"Dad, this is Elena Gilbert. Elena this is my father, Giuseppe," Damon introduced half-heartedly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Salvatore," Elena said, holding her hand out to him.

"Pleasure," he mumbled before turning his attention to Damon, completely ignoring her outstretched hand. She let her hand drop awkwardly to her side.

"Damon, I have some people who would like to meet you," Giuseppe said, guiding Damon away from her side. He shot her an apologetic look over his shoulder.

She ambled through the crowd to an empty table and plopped herself down into one of the chairs. The night had gone from good to bad in the matter of a few minutes. She never realized how much she wanted this night to go smoothly until it started to fall apart. She felt defeated.

She was surprised a few moments later when a body sat in the seat next to her. She was even more surprised to see Giuseppe sitting in the seat watching her.

"Looks like everything is going according to plan," he said, trying to be nonchalant. And failing miserably. Elena sighed.

"According to what plan?" She said, feeling annoyed.

"The way Damon always treats his women. His flings. He makes these big gestures to get their attention, ropes them in on a whirlwind date, brings them to a public outing, and then they disappear," Giuseppe explained, sounding bored.

"I don't mean to be rude, but you don't really know what is going on with my relationship with Damon," Elena said as politely as she could.

"I believe I know more than you think. Let me guess, on the first date the paparazzi just _happened_ to be outside of the restaurant. Do you think that was a coincidence? He likes his flings ending up in the tabloids. You are just another girl, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can get out," he said, standing up from the table, clearly pleased with himself.

Elena felt the tears burning her eyes, but she refused to cry here. Or over Damon at all. She felt humiliated. Every person in this room probably thought she was just another one of his flings. She glanced around the room and saw Damon in a far corner chatting with a few people. She took advantage of the distance between them to slip out of banquet hall and out of the hotel.

She was cursing herself the entire cab ride home. She couldn't believe she was actually falling for this guy. That day in the park, him showing up at her house, their first date, it was all a lie. It was a dance he had perfected and repeated with woman after woman. She knew she shouldn't have let her guard down.

* * *

><p>Damon looked around the room, anxious to get back to his date. He felt bad for being dragged around the room to schmooze with potential clients. His father could never stop working. Not even for Stefan's engagement party.<p>

He was having a hard time spotting her. He looked everywhere until he caved and asked Caroline.

"I saw her walk out the front doors, but I thought she was going to the bathroom or getting some air after talking to Giuseppe. Can't say that I blame her," Caroline informed him. Suddenly it clicked, of course she wasn't here. He was absolutely sure that she left.

He excused himself before he crossed the room swiftly to pull his father aside.

"Damon, that was incredibly rude, I was talking to a client," Giuseppe scolded him. He would've been offended that he was being scolded like a five year old, but he had bigger fish to fry.

"What did you say to Elena?" He snapped.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, I've talked to a lot of people tonight," Giuseppe deflected.

"She left and Caroline last saw her with you. I can only imagine what you said to her to upset her enough to leave. She's a strong girl, Dad, but only you could say something to snap her," Damon hissed at him. Giuseppe simply rolled his eyes.

"I just told her how things in our world work," Giuseppe said simply.

"Our world?" Damon exclaimed, "No, this is _your_ world, Dad. I want nothing of it."

"Damon! Keep your voice down!" Giuseppe hissed, looking around to see if anyone heard.

"No, I won't. I like this girl, Dad. A lot. And now I don't even know if she'll ever speak to me again after what ever you said to her," Damon said.

"You know how I feel about you dating underneath us. She's a Gilbert. Who the hell are the Gilberts? You've known good and well that when you do finally snap out of your immature ways that you would be expected to date someone with a name as prestigious as ours," Giuseppe barked at him.

"No, Dad. You want me to marry someone from a company that you can take over. That's what you want. You don't want a marriage, you want a merger," Damon snapped, "I told you I would take over the business, I meant that. But when it's my turn, things are going to be done my way, including choosing who I do and do not date."

Deciding that the conversation was going no where, he turned on his heel and walked away. He was on his way straight out the door when Stefan blocked his path.

"What was going on back there?" Stefan asked.

"Just business things," Damon said, trying to step around him, but he blocked his path again.

"Caroline said that Elena left," Stefan said, his voice softer.

"Any other girl. He could have done this to any other girl and I wouldn't have given much thought to it, but he did it to Elena. That's not ok with me," Damon said, knowing he could never keep anything from his brother.

"What did he say to her?" Stefan asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I can imagine he fed her some bullshit about how I'm expected to marry someone of 'our status'. I'm pretty sure she'll never give me the time of day now," Damon sighed, "It was hard enough to get her to come with me."

"Damon," Stefan said, placing a strong hand on his shoulder, "She's a tough girl and not easily scared. I'm sure she'll understand if you talk to her."

"I don't know," Damon mumbled, his gaze dropping to his feet as insecurities started flooding back into his mind.

"You like her, and I'm pretty sure she likes you, otherwise she would've never agreed to come tonight. Just convince her that Dad doesn't control your choices and that you choose her," Stefan said.

"Thanks, Stef," Damon said before walking past him, "Oh and congrats."

With that, he turned and decided to get his girl back.

* * *

><p>The tears finally broke free the second she closed the door to her apartment. Thankfully Bonnie wasn't there. She didn't allow herself to cry for long before she changed out of her dress, pulled her hair into a messy pony tail, and put on her sweats.<p>

She barely fell onto the couch when she heard ferocious banging on her front door.

She got up, not having any idea who'd be at her door.

"Elena!" Damon's voice came through the door. She should have known. She wasn't sure what she should do. She could leave him there, but she knew he'd make a ruckus and disturb her neighbors.

She yanked the door open to reveal a disheveled and frantic Damon. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"Why did you leave?" He asked, walking into her apartment.

"I'm not going to be another one of your flings, Damon. I refuse to be played like that," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She was furious, but his close proximity still made her heart start pounding.

"What are you talking about? You're not one of my 'flings'," he said adding the air-quotes for emphasis.

"Who tipped off the paparazzi about what restaurant we were going to that night? Why did you bring me with you tonight?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Elena, I swear I didn't tip off the paparazzi..." his sentence dropped off as recognition flashed across his face, "Giuseppe. What did he say to you?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, turning away from him.

"It obviously does, Elena. You are not like those other girls I wouldn't have brought you tonight if you were. He said those things to you because he is scared. He doesn't want this to be serious because he has this fucked up fantasy that I'll marry someone with a name just as big as ours," Damon explained, his voice was thick with passion.

"He made it sound like I'm just another one of your sluts. What am I to you? Who am I to you?" She snapped at him.

"Goddammit, Elena," he growled as he closed the distance between them, cutting through the thick tension, and pressed his lips against hers.

She was shocked for several moments. His lips were soft on hers and his hands cupped her face gently. Soon she found herself melting into him. Her hands winding around his back and pulling him closer. All she could see was red behind her eyelids. He was overloading her senses. He felt warm, his scent filled her nose, and she even saw him behind her eyelids.

Her heart was on fire, her blood was on fire. All she could feel was him. He was everywhere and she couldn't get enough. She kissed him back with an equal passion. She let her hands explore his chest and the soft hairs on the nape of his neck, while his hands smoothed down her sides and pulled her closer to him. It was like he couldn't get enough of her.

He slowed the kisses down to an almost lazy pace before he pulled back to look at her. She immediately missed the contact.

He smiled at her, and not one of his arrogant smirks, it was a genuine, lopsided smile.

"I like you, Elena," he said quietly, after a few long moments, "You are nothing like those other girls and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She couldn't fight the smile that broke out on her face. The butterflies in her stomach were full-on partying now as she pulled him back to her to regain the contact between their lips, but the sound of the front door opening had them jumping apart to see a shocked Bonnie.

"I.. Uh... Hey, Bon," Elena stammered, her face turning red.

Bonnie glanced suspiciously between the two of them.

"I should get going," Damon spoke up.

Bonnie shot him a skeptical look, "I'll be in my room," she finally said before disappearing down the hall.

Elena was still reeling from the encounter when Damon grabbed her hand and pressed a light kiss to her lips before pulling back to smile at her.

"Goodnight, Elena," he smiled, clearly pleased that he could leave her breathless.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

She forgot what it was like to wake up next to someone, and not just anyone, it was Damon. She heard him sigh happily as his arm tightened around her waist involuntarily, just as he always used to do right before he woke up.

She smiled to herself, perfectly content to do this the rest of her life. However, her smile was wiped right off her face when she felt him wake up and immediately tense up. He slowly removed his arm from her waist and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning," she said to him sleepily. He turned and smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Wordlessly, he got up and started getting dressed.

"Where are you off to in a rush?" She asked, trying to keep her voice light. She couldn't help the panic that set in. She just got him back, she couldn't lose him again.

"I have funeral arrangements to attend to, I totally spaced," he said, but his voice sounded strained.

"How are you doing with all that?" She asked concerned.

He froze and she could see him relax a little.

"I'm not sure how I feel about his passing. We never had a good relationship, but he was my dad and sometimes I thought he would even out live me for how stubborn he was," Damon said with a sad chuckle as he sat on the edge of her bed. She grabbed her robe off the headboard post and wrapped it around herself before she crawled to the foot of her bed to him.

She tentatively wrapped her arms around him and he immediately slumped into her, leaning on her for support like he had done so many years before. They sat like that for several long moments, his arms holding her waist and hers cradling his head to her chest and her hands running soothingly through his hair. She wished so desperately that she could capture this moment and keep it forever. But sure enough, she felt them falling back into reality and the tension soon filled the room once again.

He untangled himself from her and stood up with a sigh. The detachment in his eyes sent a jolt of pain through her. She hated seeing him hurting, she hated it even more when he tried to cover it up.

"I'll see you later, Elena," he said from her doorway.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" She asked in a small voice.

"Sure, I'd like that," he gave her a small smile before disappearing through the door.

Despite his smile, something didn't sit well with her and she knew he was holding something back from her.

She had a very, very bad feeling about it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all liked it, I know the present day scene was short, but<strong> **we're getting to the point where the present day story gets much thicker. I have a lot up my sleeve for present day Damon and Elena. ****Thanks again for reading!**

**Review are love, and I really do love every single one I get. They make me that much more anxious to get out my next chapter! Thanks guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

**You guys! I know I say this a lot, but you are all so AMAZING! Your reviews seriously make me so excited. It makes me so anxious to get the next chapter out so I can hear what you think about it. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!**

**Ok... and away we goooooo!**

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><p>June 2006<p>

She was exhausted. She had the brunch shift at work and when one of the other waitresses called out she had to stay for the early evening shift. All she wanted to do was to go home, change into her PJ's, and call Damon.

Ever since that night of Stefan and Caroline's engagement party they had been inseparable. He'd made it clear his feelings for her and when he kissed her, she couldn't deny the attraction any longer. It was something she'd never felt with anyone ever.

She trudged up the stairs and as she approached her door, she realized someone was standing in front of it. The blonde man turned around and smiled at her.

"Matt," she said.

"Hey, Elena," he smiled and shifted out of the way so she could unlock her door.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said as she opened her door.

"Ok, come on in," she let him inside and kicked her door close, "What's going on?"

"I should've never cheated on you," he said suddenly.

"Matt, where is this coming from?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

She and Matt dated almost a year earlier and he cheated on her then made her feel like it was her lack of experience between the sheets that caused him to cheat. As far as she knew that was the end of it and there would never be anything between them again.

"I... I... uh," Matt stuttered, "I saw you with him. He's bad news, 'Lena."

"Who I do and do not see is none of your business anymore," she snapped, "What is this about?"

"I miss you," he said, stepping closer to her. She had an immediate sinking feeling in her gut.

"Matt," she said taking his hand in hers, "We ended things for a reason and we're never going to get back together."

"Elena, things never ended for me," Matt said passionately.

Before Elena could respond a million things happened at once. Matt pulled her into his chest and crashed his lips on hers. As much as she struggled against him, his arms around her was too strong. At the same time, she heard the front door open.

"The fuck is going on here?" Came a booming voice from the doorway.

Thankfully Matt was caught by surprise and she could successfully push him off her. She turned to the voice from the doorway.

"Damon," she whispered.

"Who is this, Elena?" He yelled, "What is going on?"

"Damon, I can explain. I swear!" Elena said, tears instantly streaming down her face.

"I'm her ex-boyfriend and I'm here to get her back," Matt boomed, puffing his chest out.

"Would you shut the fuck up, Matt?" Elena screamed at him, "Just leave. You only cause problems where ever you go and I will not allow you to do that to my life again."

"Well, I'll just leave you two to it," Damon said sarcastically.

"Damon, don't. Please," Elena begged, "It's not what it looked like, please just don't leave like this."

Matt was long forgotten at the thought of Damon leaving her. She couldn't think about anything but making him stay.

"I really don't want to hear anymore," his voice was low and deadly. He turned on his heel and started out the door.

"Damon, please," she sobbed. She didn't care that she was begging. She didn't care that Matt was watching the whole scene.

Damon didn't listen.

"He left," she cried to herself as her knees buckled and she folded in on herself.

"He's an idiot," Matt's voice came into her ears. Her eyes darted to him and he looked frightened by the venom he saw there.

"Get the hell out of my house," Elena growled from the floor.

Without hesitation, Matt left the apartment and closed the door on his way out, leaving Elena heartbroken on the floor.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"Thank you both. We'll have everything ready by Friday," the funeral planner rose from the table.

"Thank you," Stefan said, rising to shake her hand and Damon followed suit.

They both collapsed back into their seats.

"How are you doing with all this?" Damon asked. He knew Stefan had a very different relationship with their father than he did.

"I'm doing ok. Caroline has been great. I've more felt guilty because I'm not that sad," Stefan said honestly.

"I know exactly what you mean," Damon sighed. His thoughts were a million miles from funeral plans. Actually only about six miles from the restaurant they were in. With Elena. In her bed.

He shook his head and sighed again. He was so screwed. He should've known he'd never be able to resist her.

"What's wrong, brother?" Stefan said, he knew that look and it had nothing to do with funeral arrangements.

"You really need to stop being so observant," Damon chuckled.

"It's not observant, I just know you. So out with it," Stefan prodded, "Is this about Elena?"

Damon didn't know how to respond, so he tried to keep his face impassive.

"Damon," Stefan groaned, taking his silence as the affirmative, "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, Stefan!" Damon hissed, trying to keep his voice even,

"This is a very bad idea," Stefan shook his head.

"I know that. You don't think I know that?" Damon snapped, "It took me ages to come to terms with the fact that she was gone and now she's back and I can't control anything around her. I'm not in control."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Damon. I know what she meant- means- to you. But you have a lot of other factors to consider," Stefan said, "I'm just saying think before you act, because someone will end up heartbroken at the end of all this and I couldn't handle it if it was you again."

With that, he stood, dropped a few bills on the table to cover their lunch, and left the restaurant leaving Damon alone with his thoughts and Stefan's words bouncing around in his mind.

He knew Stefan was right. Someone would get hurt, but when the thought of Elena ending up hurt, it physically hurt him. She had been the one that got hurt in the long run. As angry as he had once been, all that flew right out the window when he learned the truth. In his heart, he always knew that there had to be something that would force her out of his life. And he never really blamed her, no matter how much he wanted to. Or how much he wanted to hate her, it just wasn't possible.

The truth of the matter was, he missed her. She was charming and carefree. She knew him inside and out and she proved that her memory was still as sharp as ever last night. He still had her memorized, ever hill and valley of her. He missed the way she smiled, the way she always knew what he was thinking. He even missed that sinking, all-consuming feeling that she was made just for him.

Yep, he was so screwed.

* * *

><p>He was an absolute glutton for punishment. He knew it, but he couldn't resist her now that he had tasted her again after all these years. After he learned that she never wanted to leave him.<p>

He tried to put his overactive mind at rest with the day he had, all he wanted to do was just be with her. Even if just for tonight.

He knocked gently on her door and waited.

"Be right the-" she was cut off by a big clattering sound. He smiled to himself as he heard her cursing and picturing her frantically running around trying to fix things.

The door swung open to reveal Elena. She was so beautiful and he had been reminded of that the past two days. She only got more beautiful over the years.

Her hair was floating around her shoulders and she was wearing a white sun dress. Her face instantly lit up when she saw him and in return his lit up for the first time that day. He didn't realize how much he needed this until he saw her.

"Hi," she said a little breathlessly.

"Hey," he smiled back at her as he walked into her house.

The lights were dimmed and there were candles lit all through the entry way and into the kitchen. There was music playing softly. It was like she knew this was exactly what he needed.

"This is amazing, Elena," Damon said, still awestruck. Her answering smile made his stomach start fluttering. Damon Salvatore and fluttering do not belong in the same sentence.

He sat down at the table and watched her move around the kitchen. He sipped the wine she had on the table as she walked over and placed his plate in front of him.

"Spaghetti?" He laughed.

"Don't make fun, you know that's the only thing I've mastered," she giggled along with him.

He took a bite and it was better than he remembered.

"Well, if it's possible, you're spaghetti has only gotten better with age," he complimented. Her answering blush was all the thanks he needed.

They laughed all through dinner and Damon could feel the stress from the day disappearing in her presence.

She was giggling at something he said as she was putting her wine glass to her mouth which caused her to spill all over her white dress.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, 'Lena!" He jumped up.

"No, no," she placed a hand on his arm, "It's fine. I own really good stain remover."

He could only smile at her. He was staring right into the face of his Elena. He loved how carefree she was and the situation only intensified that.

"Oh my gosh!" She gasped, making him jump, "I love this song!"

He watched her jump up from the table. While he thought she was going to dance on her own, she came right to him and tugged him out of his seat. He reluctantly followed her to the middle of her living room. He was never one for dancing, but with her it was hard to hate anything that made her that happy.

You had me dim the lights

You danced just like a child

The wine spilled on your dress

And all you did was smile

His hands had minds of their own as one wound around her waist and the other took her hand in his. She smiled as he pulled her close, her hand took up into the hair on the back of his neck.

They danced effortlessly and Elena let out a peal of laughter as he twirled and dipped her. When he pulled her back up their gazes locked and their labored breaths mingled together. It was like time had stopped and the only two people on the planet were them. That's how it always was with her. She always had the ability to make him feel like the only man in the world.

He couldn't help the call of her lips to his and he leaned forward and answered the call. They stood in the living room for a few very long moments just reveling in each other's kiss.

She pulled away to give her lungs the air they were screaming for and his lips found their way to the column of her throat. His hands explored the soft curves of her sides and back.

"Damon," she whispered breathlessly.

"Mmm?" He mumbled from the crook of her neck.

"Make love to me," she breathed out.

His eyes snapped to hers and he saw the total trust in them he used to see so many years ago.

Without anymore hesitation he lifted her legs around her waist and gave her exactly what she asked for.

* * *

><p><strong>I bet y'all were expecting some sh** to hit the fan! Anyone? That's ok. It's coming, but the flashback story took a very unexpected turn so I decided that present day Damon and Elena needed some happy time before things got rough.<strong>

**PS: How are we liking Damon and Stefan's relationship? Do we want to see more? Because I totally love them having that real and strong brotherly bond. **

**Reviews are love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! And to show my gratitude, here is the next chapter! This chapter flowed so easily and it's my favorite chapter so far. **

**PS: There is an "adult content" warning for this chapter. It's NOT smut. I don't write it, nor will I ever. But it goes farther than I've ever taken a fic before. I'm pretty proud and I feel like its tasteful without being smutty. You'll have to let me know how you guys felt about it cause I'm nervous putting it out there.**

* * *

><p>June 2006<p>

She woke up with a groan. She didn't quite understand why her body felt like it had been drained of energy. Then the images of the night before came rushing back to her. Damon catching Matt attacking her lips with his. She remembered the look of hurt that was in his eyes and that sent the tears rushing right back.

She pushed herself out of bed and wiped her tears, determined to go sort everything out with Damon and then everything would be better. She was sure of it. She hoped that's the way it would be.

She got ready quickly, making sure she looked fresh faced and put together. She was out of the apartment in such a rush that she didn't realize it was raining until she was out on the sidewalk without an umbrella.

She muttered curses as she continued her brisk walk to Damon's loft. She was saying a silent prayer of thanks that she and Damon both had the day off. She crossed the familiar streets to his place. She was completely soaked by the time she arrived at his building. She contemplated going home to change and taking a taxi back, but she knew she'd lose all the courage she built up on the walk over.

She took the elevator to his floor and steadied herself at his door before she raised a hand to knock gently on his door.

She heard him moving around and then the door opened to reveal a miserable looking Damon. Before she had the chance to say anything, he already started closing the door.

She moved quickly, pushing against the door and successfully held it open.

"Damon, stop," she said in a strong voice, much stronger than she felt, "We need to talk about this."

"I have nothing to say to you," he said dismissively, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Good, so you can listen 'cause I have plenty to say to you," she said.

"What you saw was an absolute pig putting his hands on me and kissing me without my permission. I would never go back to Matt, ever. He did horrible things to me and more than that, I have you," she explained to him, desperately trying to get him to believe her.

"I know what I saw, Elena," he said quietly, it was clear he was close to caving in.

"You think you know, but you have to trust me," she said passionately, taking a step closer to him.

"Why should I trust you?" He asked in a hurt voice.

"Because I'm in love with you, Damon," she finally burst out. There was complete silence as she watched a myriad of emotions run across his face. Confusion, shock, acceptance, hope, and finally, she saw love.

"You do?" He asked finally, a look of wonder gracing his features.

"Yeah, I do," she smiled at him.

"I love you, too," he whispered as he took her hand and pulled her into his loft. He shut the door and pressed her back against it before placing his lips against hers. She felt like she was drowning in him and she couldn't get enough. Her hands were everywhere at once, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath his v-neck shirt, exploring the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, and gliding down the strong planes of his back.

His hands cradled her face before diving into her wet hair. He let them float down her neck and across her shoulders before settling on her hips and pulling her closer. Her hands toyed with the hem of his shirt before breaking away from him to push it up over his head. His skin felt like fire on her cold hands. She loved the way his muscles flexed and relaxed under her touch.

His hands expertly worked the buttons of her wet blouse and soon he slid it off her shoulders. He pulled back a few moments to just take in her olive skin. Usually she would squirm under such a gaze, but his was so full of love and wonder that she found herself relaxing even further.

And then the world ignited. She pulled him into her and crashed her lips to his. There were no more careful and slow movements. Everything changed to hurried and lustful. Soon most of their clothes had been discarded in the entryway. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried them into his large bedroom. She loved the feel of his skin against hers and she whimpered at the loss of contact when he laid her on the bed.

He smiled at her and covered her body with his once there was nothing left between them but skin. They fit together like two long lost puzzle pieces and her eyes filled with tears at the perfection of that moment. The look of love in his eyes was enough to take her breath away. Even the way he said her name like it was a prayer sent shivers down her spine.

She truly did love this man. Everything about him she loved, even the things that made her angry or got under her skin. She wouldn't have him any other way and the look of joy on his face told her that he felt the same.

Her thighs cradled his hips in the most intimate of connections long after their cries quieted and their breathing evened out. She loved the feel of his weight pressing her into his mattress. He was loving the way she looked so loved with her hair spread out over his pillow.

His hands softly traced the soft hills and valleys of her face, while her hands traced aimless patters across his back. No words were spoken save for gentle whispers of their love for one another.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

She felt his gaze before she even fully woke up.

"You're staring," she grumbled.

"So?" He said and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"It's creepy," she complained, rolling away from the warmth of his chest.

He was faster than she was and before she could think straight, he had her underneath him, pressing her into the mattress.

"Good morning," he mumbled into the crook of her neck. He pressed himself into her, showing her how good he thought this morning was.

"Well now it's good," she giggled sleepily.

He kissed his way up her neck and across her cheek to finally land on her lips. He forgot how much he loved how she felt in the morning. Her skin felt softer and her raspy morning voice drove him crazy in the best ways.

He kissed her with all the energy he could muster, never wanting to leave their little bubble. He wanted to push reality off as long as possible, so when she started to fidget in anticipation beneath him, he was happy to oblige.

They finally made it out of her room an hour later, showered and dressed. He made her breakfast and they spent the morning just enjoying each other. Neither one of them wanted to face the reality of their fragile relationship, so they both avoided that topic altogether.

A few minutes after he pulled away there was a knock on her door that she recognized immediately. She answered the door to see a worried looking Bonnie on the other side.

"I hope you know what you are doing," she said as she pushed past Elena and into the house.

"You saw him leave?" Elena asked as she closed the door and turned to face her friend.

"Yep in all his 'Walk of Shame' glory," Bonnie said sarcastically, "I live across the street, remember? I see all."

"I know, Bonnie," Elena sighed, "So purge, tell me what you're thinking."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again," Bonnie said seriously as they walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"I know, I don't either, but Giuseppe died. Therefore, the root of the whole problem is gone," Elena explained.

"I know that, but do you even know what's going on in his life? Have you talked about that?" Bonnie asked laying a comforting hand on her arm.

"Well… no," Elena admitted.

"What if he's dating someone, engaged, married? What then?" Bonnie asked.

"He'd tell me if that was the case," Elena said defensively, snapping her arm away from Bonnie's touch.

"I'm sorry, 'Lena. I didn't mean to come across accusatory, but I just don't want to see you get hurt," Bonnie said in a much softer voice.

"I know, Bon, but it was leaving him that hurt me, not being with him," Elena explained.

"You're right, I just wanted to be sure everything was ok," Bonnie said, patting her friend's hand.

"It's more than ok," Elena smiled.

* * *

><p>She was surprised at how touching the funeral was. She sat alone in the back row, just sneaking in as it started. Damon didn't invite her personally, but she wanted to be there for him if he needed her.<p>

Giuseppe's business partners spoke great things about him and his company and Stefan gave a lovely eulogy. She forgot how much she missed him until she saw him get up and speak. She made a mental note to speak to him before he left town.

The ceremony was short and everyone swarmed Damon and Stefan to offer their condolences. She decided to slip behind him and wait until the crowd died down so she could have more time with him.

As the crowd waned, she made her way over to him. As she approached, she caught part of his conversation with the man in front of him

"Damon, I'm so sorry about your father. I worked with him on many occasions. He was a great business man," the older gentleman told Damon.

As she was about to approach him, a tall slender woman walked up to him.

"Oh, Mr. Watkins, this is my fiancée, Katherine," he introduced the woman as he wrapped an arm around her waist and her heart stopped.

Bonnie was right. She had no idea about his life. He was engaged.

"What?" She whispered to herself, but it caught Damon's attention and he turned around to see a shocked Elena.

Her eyes met his and she saw the confusion register on his face and then, the worst of all, regret.

"Elena," he said, taking a step toward her.

"No," she said shaking her head, blinking rapidly to prevent the tears from falling. Without another word she walked straight out of the church and drove straight home.

Her world felt like it had been blown into a million pieces. He was engaged. He cheated on his fiancée with her. He never told her, yet he had come back for more time and time again. She was so stupid to think he'd want her back after all these years. She was stupid to think he hadn't moved on with his life.

She had so easily let him back into her life, into her bed, without so much as a question to what he'd been up to.

She went immediately to her kitchen and poured herself a tall glass of wine. She couldn't handle this alone. She sat at her counter long after the tears had passed and the alcohol numbed her restless mind. She stared straight ahead with unseeing eyes; she didn't know how long she'd sat there.

The sound of someone banging down her front door floated into her ears, but took a few seconds to register with her that someone was at her door. She got up slowly, not sure how the alcohol was going to affect her. She made her way to the door and threw it open without checking who it was.

Damon stood there with sad eyes and his hair looked like he had ran his hands through it several times.

"What are you doing here," she asked tiredly.

"We need to talk," he said frantically.

"There's nothing to talk about. You are engaged, you have a fiancée and you cheated on her," she said harshly and she saw him flinch at her words.

"Elena, I can't control anything around you. All rational thoughts disappear when I'm with you," he tried desperately to explain, "I'm just still so desperately in love with you and I've tried to ignore it for all these years, but seeing you just reminded me that I never gave up on you."

The tears that were welled up in her eyes, we freely falling down her cheeks at his words.

"So you're calling off your engagement?" Elena asked in a small hopeful voice. His face told her the answer before he opened his mouth.

"I can't, Elena. This is the last thing my father asked of me, I can't go back on my word now just because he died," he explained sadly.

"That's all I needed to know," she said before slamming the door in his face. She listened to him mutter curses through the door. She pressed her back against the door, sliding to the ground before erupting into tears once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun DUN! Damon's engaged. Some of you guessed right and some of you guessed almost right. This is the main story arc I was wanting to get to and I'm excited for the rest of the story and how they deal with their lives after seeing each other again and getting a glimpse of what their lives could hold with each other. I know Bonnie and Stefan seem like Downer Debbies, but they have good reason. Things didn't end well for both Damon and Elena so naturally they are skeptical and trying to look out for the people they care about. <strong>

**This chapter makes me nervous to post so I'd really love your feedback and let me know how felt about it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys. WOW WOW WOW! You guys, the reviews for the last chapter made me so happy!**

**I'm sorry this took so long. It was kind of a hard chapter to write and not to mention I had an upper respiratory infection all week last week AND I had finals. It was a miserable week, but now it's DONE!**

**Also, I'm thinking of starting a O/S story with song fics. It would just be random one shots based on songs. I figured it would help with writers block. Anyway, let me know if you'd read them. I'm still undecided.**

**PS, I was just as pissed at Damon as the rest of you and this chapter won't make you like him anymore. Haha. I promise the light will come eventually.**

* * *

><p>October 2006<p>

"Hey, it's Elena. Leave your message after the tone."

Voicemail. Again.

He had been calling her his whole trip to the office. She should've been done with her meeting by then and it was the day they would always do lunch together.

He tried to busy himself at work, telling himself that she lost her phone or she fell asleep with it on silent. He chuckled to himself, she'd always do silly things like that. He got through most of his morning well enough, but still having thoughts of terrible things that could've happened to her. By lunchtime, he still hadn't heard from her.

He made his way down the hall to Stefan's office and walked in without knocking. Stefan and Giuseppe's heads both snapped up when he walked in.

"Stefan, have you heard from Elena today?" Damon asked.

"Damon, we were in the middle of a conversation," Giuseppe scolded with a scowl.

"She's not answering her phone," Damon continued, ignoring his father completely.

"No, I haven't actually," Stefan said, checking his phone for any missed calls.

"Elena is gone," Giuseppe said.

Damon shot his father a glare before turning back to Stefan.

"She probably just left it somewhere on silent," Stefan said.

"That's what I was thinking," Damon agreed.

"Elena is gone," Giuseppe repeated.

"What are you talking about?" Damon snapped, turning to face Giuseppe.

"She didn't tell you?" He said with a knowing smirk.

"Tell me what?" Damon asked, getting annoyed that Giuseppe had information on her.

"She was accepted into an accelerated medical program. She left," Giuseppe said simply.

"She wouldn't leave without telling me," Damon said, shaking his head.

"Maybe I told her not to tell you," Giuseppe said finally.

Damon felt a spark of anger and it took every ounce of energy in him not to attack his father right then and there.

"What did you do to her?" Damon snarled.

"I didn't give her anything she didn't take willingly," Giuseppe said, taking a step toward Damon.

Before anyone could react, Damon slung his fist at his father's jaw, successfully knocking him back a few steps. Without a backwards glance Damon left Stefan's office and hurried out of the building.

The elevator felt like it took days to descend to the main floor. Meanwhile, he dialed Elena's number again, only this time it was disconnected.

Damon muttered a string of curses as he half ran out of the lobby to the street to hail a taxi.

The whole ride to Elena's apartment was a horrible ordeal. He was weighing what his father had said. Would she really leave? If she would, why didn't she say goodbye?

He dashed out of the cab and into the building. He didn't bother with the elevator, opting for the stairs since he could climb them faster. And he couldn't just stand still.

He knew something was off the second he reached her floor. He could see her door down the hall and it was open. He approached it tentatively as if something would jump out and get him. When he peered inside the apartment it was empty. He walked through the door to get a better look and his suspicions were confirmed. It was totally empty. No sign of her or Bonnie anywhere.

He searched the small space five or six times over. Each pass he made through the rooms, his heart broke a little more. He could feel the sting behind his eyes and his vision became blurry. Eventually he just stopped walking and stood frozen in the middle of her entryway.

She was gone. She left him without a backwards glance. Why would she leave him? Was he not good enough? Were the past seven months a lie? Did they mean nothing to her?

He dropped to his knees and his hands dug into the carpet, desperately trying to get some sort of grip on reality. He felt like the whole world was shaking and then he realized that it was him. He had wretched sobs shaking his whole frame.

He wasn't quite sure where he'd go from there without her.

* * *

><p>"You son of a bitch," Damon yelled as he burst through the door to his father's office.<p>

"Damon, control your tone with me," Giuseppe said, not even bothering to look up.

"What did you do to her!" He bellowed. Finally Giuseppe snapped his head up. Damon was a wreck. His hair was out of place and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I told you that you would be expected to marry into a family with a name as prestigious as ours. I was taking care of the problem," Giuseppe said simply.

"I can't believe this. You may be cold hearted, but I never thought you were pure evil," Damon seethed.

"Damon, all I did was make the offer. She is the one who took it," Giuseppe said simply, unfazed by Damon's harsh words.

"She wouldn't do that to me, she loves me," Damon shook his head.

"Maybe she didn't love you as much as she let on," Giuseppe said with a shrug before going back to his work.

Damon stood in the middle of his office processing what his father just said.

Maybe she didn't love him as much as she let on.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"Stefan!" Damon yelled as he pounded on Stefan's hotel door.

"What?" Stefan asked as he swung the door open.

"I need to talk to you," Damon said as he rushed past him into the hotel room.

Stefan followed him and noticed he was pacing. That was never a good sign.

"She knows," Stefan said quietly. It wasn't a question and it froze Damon in place. They stared at each other for a few long moments.

Stefan could see what this was doing to Damon and it was tearing him apart that there was nothing he could do to help.

"Who knows what?" Caroline asked as she entered the room. Both brothers heads snapped into her direction and she saw the heartbreak on her husband's face and the disheveled appearance of her brother-in-law.

She moved across the room and plopped down on the couch.

"Now, start at the beginning and tell me everything," she demanded. Both brothers sat down immediately, knowing if they didn't do as the small blonde said, they'd both be dead men walking.

As much as Caroline annoyed Damon, he knew she was the best person to go to when there was a problem. She was never judgmental and despite her chatty personality, secrets were always safe with her, especially when it came to family. He loved her for that. She was fiercely loyal and she understood completely the bond the brothers shared.

Damon dropped his head into his hands and told Caroline everything that she had missed the past few days.

She gasped when he told her about Elena and kept her silence when he told her they slept together. Her eyes bugged out when he told her about their lost child and how Giuseppe threatened Elena to get her to leave. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as he finished telling her about Elena finding out about Katherine.

"Oh my goodness, Damon," she breathed sympathetically.

"What did you think was going to happen when you slept with her, Damon?" Stefan asked after a long silence.

"I don't know," Damon groaned, "I was so mad at her for leaving, for never telling me about our child and then she turned the tables on me completely. She never wanted to leave, she was forced. Nothing was a lie for her and it was everything I have been so desperate to hear since she left."

"What are you going to do?" Caroline asked gently.

"He's getting married in two weeks," Stefan said and Damon groaned again.

"I feel like everything I've felt the past five years has been a lie," Damon said.

"Have you told Katherine?" Caroline asked carefully.

"I wasn't planning on it. She's already stressed as is and it's not going to change anything. I'm made her a promise and I'm not going to back out on it now," Damon said decisively, standing from the couch.

"Damon, if you are still in love with Elena, you owe it to yourselves to maybe try again," Stefan said quietly.

"I can't do that. I made a promise to Kat and to Dad," Damon said.

"Dad's dead. He's gone and you'll never love anyone the way you loved Elena. But if you do go back to Elena, you have to do it the honest way. Which means breaking things off with Katherine," Stefan said.

"Elena is part of my past now," Damon said quietly before turning and leaving.

Stefan's shoulders sagged once his brother left.

"He's making the wrong choice," Stefan said, defeated.

"He thinks he's doing the right thing," Caroline said, laying a soft hand on his arm.

"He loves Elena," Stefan said.

"He loves Katherine, too," Caroline said softly.

"Not the way he loves Elena, I can see it in his eyes," Stefan turned to her.

"I know. I see it too, but we have to let him make his own choices. They are different people now," Caroline explained.

"I just want to see him happy again," Stefan said quietly.

Caroline smiled a watery smile up at her husband before wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Me too," she said as his arms locked around her and pulled her closer.

* * *

><p>"Go ahead, say I told you so," Elena sniffled from her spot on the couch.<p>

Bonnie froze in the doorway before closing it and rushing to her friend's side.

"I'm not going to do that," Bonnie assured her, "But do you want to tell me what I told you?"

"He's engaged," she whispered, her eyes overflowing with tears again.

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock.

"What?" She whispered.

"I'm so stupid," Elena cried.

"I'm so sorry, Elena," Bonnie said quietly, scooting closer to her on the couch.

"How am I going to do this a second time. The first time nearly killed me," she said quietly.

"You are going to do this because I will be right here with you the entire time," Bonnie said to her.

"Thanks, Bon," Elena whispered.

Bonnie said nothing, but pulled her best friend closer and cried with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew. Things are not going to get better for a little bit. But I have big plans, you'll just have to be patient. There won't be much Delena in the present day scenes, but that's why we have flashbacks! Wee! <strong>

**I have a few scenes I want to write for flashbacks, but if there is anything you'd like to see let me know! I'm totally open to suggestions for flashback scenes. If you want them to fight, be fluffy, or do anything else, let me know!**

**Thanks again for reading and I'm hoping updates will be faster since it's winter break now!**

**Reviews are love!**


	11. Chapter 11

**This should not have taken so long to post, but I had so much I wanted to write, but I knew I needed to pace the story, so I had a hard time deciding what stays and what waits until later. But here it is, finished and I'm pleased. **

**THANK YOU for all who reviewed. I'm going to get around to responding to reviews, but I figured you'd rather have another chapter than a response to your review!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>June 2006<p>

"Thanks for knocking," Stefan quipped as his brother burst through his office door. One look at his face, however, changed his tone completely. His brother looked like a mad man. His hair was sticking out every which way, his clothes were wrinkly, and Stefan could have sworn his socks didn't match. Damon's socks always matched.

"What's wrong, Damon?" Stefan asked as Damon flopped into one of the chairs in his office. His head immediately dropped into his hands.

"What if I made a mistake?" Damon groaned.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened," Stefan said quietly, walking around his desk to sit on the edge opposite Damon.

"I fell in love with her," Damon whispered. Silence fell upon the brothers as they both reeled from Damon's revelation. It had been plaguing his every thought for days. He couldn't pin point a moment, but just one night he looked into her big brown eyes and he knew.

"And you feel as if this is a mistake?" Stefan asked, trying to fit the pieces together, because they weren't making any sense to him.

"What else could it possibly be?" Damon's head snapped up, "Love was never meant for people like me."

"Damon, you know that's not true," Stefan said quietly.

"No? How come my own father can't love me and the love for my mother killed her?" Damon snapped, pushing out of his chair and pacing the length of the office.

There it was. The basis of his every problem. Laid out there for the first time in his life and it hurt more than he ever considered. He knew he had issues with love and other such feelings, but he always pushed the reasons why to the back of his mind. He was never faced with the possibility of love, so he never had a reason to think of why he was so afraid of it.

When all was said and done, love had let him down. He lost the one person he loved most, and the only person left to love him rejected him for it. It had always hurt growing up, but as an adult it was something he had learned to suppress and live with. But now, with Elena in the picture, the thought of love was wigging him out.

It practically broke Stefan's heart seeing his brother so closed off and panicked about loving someone. He should be excited and happy, not pacing the length of the office.

"You're just going to have to decide if she is worth taking a risk for," Stefan said, placing a hand on Damon's arm to stop his frantic pacing, "Love is scary. It's giving someone all the power to break you and then trusting them not to. You either take that leap or lose Elena. The choice is yours."

Damon pondered that in silence for a few long moments before his gaze snapped to his brother.

"When did you get so smart?" Damon asked.

"Maybe when I manned up and proposed to Caroline," Stefan shrugged with a small smile, glad that Damon seemed to be processing what he had said.

"No, that can't be it," Damon mumbled then flinched when Stefan punched him in the arm.

"You going to think about what I said?" Stefan asked.

"You were right. Plain and simple, I have to take a leap or else lose Elena. And losing Elena is the last thing I want to do," Damon said, moving toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"To tell her," Damon said with a small smile, finally realizing that loving Elena didn't have to be scary. And of all people he'd take that risk for, Elena was worth it.

With that he half ran to his office to grab his things. It was getting late, but he didn't want to wait any longer. If he waited, doubt and fear would creep in and keep him from what could be the love of his life.

He sped to Elena's house as much as possible in New York traffic, but he made it there in record time. He felt his fear turning into excitement and nervousness as he ascended the stairs. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he loved Elena.

He arrived on her floor and approached her door. The closer he got, he realized the door was slightly ajar and he could hear voices coming from inside. He heard her voice and a male voice, but he didn't catch what they were saying. When silence fell inside the apartment he pushed open the door to see his girlfriend in the arms of some blonde steroid and he was kissing her.

His hopes went straight through the floor as he realized what was happening.

"The fuck is going on here?" He roared. He was livid and all he could see was red. He finally took a chance loving someone and this is what happens. This is why he vowed to never fall in love.

She was quick to push the man away when she'd been caught.

"Damon," she whispered. He could see her eyes glistening. He didn't care, she was probably upset with guilt.

"Who is this, Elena?" He yelled, "What is going on?"

He glanced at the man standing awkwardly in the middle of them.

"Damon, I can explain. I swear!" Elena said. She had tears running down her cheeks, but he couldn't care less.

"I'm her ex-boyfriend and I'm here to get her back," the man finally stepped up. He looked like a peacocking idiot.

"Would you shut the fuck up, Matt?" Elena screamed, "Just leave. You only cause problems where ever you go and I will not allow you to do that to my life again."

He didn't process why she'd talk to him like that, he was too angry at her for making him fall for her then cheating on him.

"Well, I'll just leave you two to it," he said sarcastically. He hoped she'd be miserable with the blonde cone-head.

"Damon, don't. Please," Elena begged, "It's not what it looked like, please just don't leave like this."

He almost smiled at how pathetic she looked, then he remembered how pathetic he was. He fell in love when he knew damn well he'd get hurt.

"I really don't want to hear anymore," he snarled at her. He was seething. Without wanting to hear another word he turned and left.

He was out of her apartment and into his in record time. The drive was a blur, he was thinking about everything and nothing all at once. He walked into his loft and straight to his liquor cart. He promptly poured himself a full tumbler of his best Bourbon.

The whole time they'd been dating was a farce. She played him as if he meant nothing to her. There he was going to tell her he was in love with her and she practically spat in his face. He knew he should've stuck with just dating and ditching women. No emotions, just one and done. Life didn't hurt as much that way. His heart never ached like it did at that moment. He never understood being heartbroken, but here it was and it was worse than all his hangovers combined. He felt like he was drowning in his own pain and he wanted nothing more to make it stop.

So he did the one thing he only knew to dull the pain. He consumed as much liquor as his body would let him and let the slight burn in his throat lull him to sleep.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"Damon?" His eyes focused on the person in front of him. Katherine was standing there in her always-present short black dress, stilettos, with her hand on her hip and she did not look happy.

"What?" He looked up at her.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" She asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Kat. Run it by me one more time," he said.

She sighed and flopped down on the couch next to him.

"What's wrong, Damon?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said quickly.

"You've been off since we got back. Talk to me," she said softly, placing her hand on his arm.

He snapped his gaze to hers. As his eyes met her brown ones, he was put off by the disappointment he felt when he wasn't gazing into Elena's big brown doe eyes.

He shook his head to rid himself of the thought.

"I'm fine, Kat. Just stressed I guess," Damon said, avoiding her gaze.

"Well," she purred, her hand tracing lightly from his shoulder down his chest, "I could help you relax a little."

He snapped her hand away before it reached its destination inside his jeans.

"Not now, Katherine," he complained.

"God!" She groaned, getting up and putting her hands on her hips, looking every bit like a stubborn child, "You have been ignoring me the past three days!"

Her childish tone set off something in him.

"What? Upset that someone said no to you for once?" Damon snapped, "You need to think about someone other than yourself."

He stood up from the couch abruptly and pushed past her toward the door.

"Where are you going?" She called after him.

He turned and gave her a long hard look.

"Anywhere but here," he finally said before disappearing out her door.

He wasn't going anywhere in particular, but he found himself on the familiar over grown path in Central Park. He found the small wooden bench along the path and sat down. He hadn't been in that spot in years. He closed his eyes and he could practically see Elena come jogging down the path, winking as she passed him.

He snapped himself out of his trance when he found himself smiling. He needed to refocus. He was engaged to Katherine. He loved Katherine. She was his future now. That thought used to make him smile, but now it made him feel a little sick. Could he build a life with Katherine? Was their love deep enough to raise a family and make a future?

Then why couldn't he get Elena out of his head? He gave up and pulled his phone out.

"I need to talk to you," he said into the phone.

Twenty minutes later he and Caroline were sitting down to coffee.

"What's going on in your head, Damon?" Caroline asked concerned.

"I feel like I haven't been myself since we've been back," he started, "I've been taking things out on Katherine. I can't even look at her."

He dropped his head into his hands.

"I mean," he continued, "I'm marrying Katherine. I love Katherine."

"No one said you didn't love her," Caroline said, "But you need to admit to yourself that you never stopped loving Elena."

"I love Katherine more," he argued pathetically.

"If that were the case, we wouldn't be sitting here," Caroline said softly.

"What am I going to do, Caroline?" Damon groaned, "Yes, ok. I'm still in love with Elena. But I love Katherine, I still want to marry Katherine. I can't back out on that now."

"Damon, you have to do things for yourself once in a while. If you want to be with Elena, then be with her. I understand you are scared, but are you sure you can live through losing her again?"

With that, Caroline got up from the table.

"I've gotta run, I have a flight to catch," she said.

"Where are you off to?" He asked.

"Just to take care of some business things. I'll be back in time for the wedding, or not. What ever you decide," she said as she gave him a quick hug, "Remember, no matter when you do, Stefan and I are there to back you up."

"Thanks, sis," he smiled at her as she left the cafe.

He felt exponentially better after talking to Caroline. He knew exactly what he needed to do and he was now ready to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hmmm... What is Damon up to? He's definitely going to fix things with someone. <strong>

**Thanks for reading and if I don't update before Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope it is wonderful!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am SO sorry this took forever to upload. I was in Texas visiting my family all week last week, so I never had time to just sit and write. **

**But THANK YOU for all your kind reviews. They made me so happy and I really do love reading all of them. I can't thank you guys enough. **

**Enjoy chapter 12!  
><strong>

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><p>June 2006<p>

He woke up to pounding. For a moment he thought it was someone at his door, but he soon realized it was his head. The copious amounts of alcohol he consumed were now hitting him like a freight train. He couldn't- for the life of him- remember what set him off on a binge the night before. He knew it had to be something painful, so he tried to push it from his mind for as long as possible.

He stumbled through his loft until he finally found himself in the bathroom. As much as he was dying for a warm shower, he knew that it would do nothing for the massive hangover he was harboring. Cold showers were never associated with anything good.

He let the cold water jolt awake his senses and clear his foggy mind. As he stood there, the events and pain from the night before fought their way out of repression. He loved Elena. He went to tell Elena. He found Elena cheating on him. He loved her and this is what she did to him.

The feeling of hopelessness came over him. He swore he'd never fall in love because it only hurt him and the people he felt it for. He refused to ever be that weak and vulnerable ever again. Then Elena came along and challenged all of that. She was feisty, passionate, illegally beautiful, and she never took any of his shit. Sometimes it felt like she was made for him. She was his equal in every way. She could challenge him in ways no one else ever had. As much as he fought it, he fell in love with her. He tried to avoid it, not think about it, but he knew it was inevitable. How could a man not fall for her?

He pulled himself from the shower and let his mind bury the pain again. He knew it wouldn't ever help, but he wanted to avoid it for just a little while longer. He got himself dressed and padded into his kitchen when he heard a tentative knock on his door. He sighed to himself, knowing who was on the other side of the door.

He tried to take as long as possible to make it to the door, but he couldn't put off the inevitable. He swung the door open and with one look at her he knew he couldn't do it. Not today. She looked just as miserable as he felt. Her eyes were dull and lifeless; there were purple bags under them that she tried to cover. So he took the easy way out and started closing the door. But she was faster and she moved so she could block the door from closing.

"Damon, stop," she said. He had expected her voice to sound as exhausted as she looked, but that wasn't the case.

"I have nothing to say to you," he tried to sound indifferent as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Good, so you can listen 'cause I have plenty to say to you," she said, her voice still carrying a strong tone. He prepared himself for the dismissal, the 'I can't do this anymore, Damon'. He knew it was coming.

"What you saw was an absolute pig putting his hands on me and kissing me without my permission. I would never go back to Matt, ever. He did horrible things to me and more than that, I have you," she elaborated. He didn't know what to think. He had been so ready for the let down, that he'd never considered that maybe he was wrong. The fact that he misjudged her didn't sit well with him.

"I know what I saw, Elena," he said pathetically. He knew how puny he sounded and he hated it. It was his last defense.

"You think you know, but you have to trust me," she said, taking a step closer to him. Her eyes were swimming with emotion. Trust. That was not an easy thing to get from the great Damon Salvatore.

"Why should I trust you?" He asked. He wasn't sure where his education ran off to because he was standing there sounding no better than a hurt child.

"Because I'm in love with you, Damon," she exploded. He was shocked into silence. That was never something he considered. Not in the past 18 hours, not even in their entire relationship.

"You are?" He asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Yeah, I am," she smiled and his heart decided to take over for his brain. He couldn't believe the words. Never had he considered that she would love him back.

"I love you, too," he said. And for once in his life he felt like he had been freed by love. It was not something that was pulling him down, drowning him in a dark stormy sea of the unknown. It made him excited.

He felt alive.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

It was a slow day at Mystic Falls General Hospital. Elena was working in the ER and there were only the run-of-the-mill stomach ailments, an ovarian cyst, and one finger slammed in a car door. It was a pretty uneventful day.

She was finally heading down to the cafeteria for her break, she couldn't believe how slow the day was going.

"Elena!" She heard her name called. She perked up right away since she only heard 'Dr. Gilbert' in the walls of the hospital.

She turned just in time to see a mass of blonde hair catapulting at her. The blonde crashed into her with more force than she would've guessed. She felt arms wrap tightly around her, further crushing her into the small woman.

"Can't… breathe," she barely got out, her lungs were slowly losing all oxygen and she was being held so tight that she couldn't get anymore in her.

After a few more squeaks of excitement, the woman finally let her go and took a step back. Elena couldn't believe who she saw in front of her.

"Caroline?" She exclaimed. She was shocked to say the least. Never in a million years would she have imagined seeing Caroline again. Especially after everyone left once Giuseppe's funeral was over.

"Miss me?" She smiled.

"I was going to see you at Giuseppe's funeral, but something came up," Elena said. It was a sad excuse and she knew it.

"I know, believe me, I know all about it," Caroline said with a smile, "C'mon, let's go some place we can talk."

Elena led her to the cafeteria and they settled into a booth in the far corner. The cafeteria was mostly empty anyway.

"So, should I start at the beginning?" Elena asked.

"No, I pretty much know the whole story," Caroline replied.

"You do?" Elena questioned.

"Well, yeah. Damon is my brother-in-law after all. And if he doesn't tell me, he tells Stefan everything, who then tells me," she smiled proudly, "Now what we need to do is figure out what happens now."

"I've been trying to figure that out for days, but he's getting married next Saturday. There's nothing more I can do. I just have to let him go," Elena said sadly. She had decided it was just time to give him up. She knew he wasn't hers. She made sure of that when she took Giuseppe's offer all those years ago.

"What happened to you?" Caroline asked quietly, "You used to fight for everything. You fought to get through school, you fought against everything Giuseppe threw at you, and you fought for Damon. You can't just give up."

"Caroline, I lost him. I lose. He's not mine and he hasn't been since I walked out on him five years ago," Elena said with tears forming in her eyes.

"You can't think like that. What Giuseppe did to you was wretched. He was hardly a human being. He would've done everything he could to make sure you stayed away from his son. There was nothing you could do. But you can now. You can fight for him, you are the only one who would ever be able to stop him from marrying that awful bitch," Caroline said passionately.

"He chose her over me. There's nothing else I can do, Care," Elena said deflated. She had given up. She wasn't going to fight for someone who didn't want to be won. It would only hurt and she wasn't sure how much more hurt she could take in one lifetime.

"You didn't see Damon after you left. He has fought for you ever since. The fact that he caved in so easily around you just shows that he's not done fighting. He thinks he is doing the right thing marrying her. Now it's your turn to fight for him. You have to fight for him, Elena! Or you're going to lose him forever and I don't think either of you can handle that," Caroline said. She could always put up a convincing argument for almost anything. Elena used to always say that she should run for President.

"If I did fight for him, how would I even do it? He's all the way in New York," Elena said. The small amount of hope that swelled in her chest during Caroline's speech was now totally diminished.

"That is why I bought two returning tickets to New York," Caroline smiled mischievously. She looked way too pleased with herself.

"You really thought you could sway me that easily?" Elena laughed.

"No, but I knew I could if Damon was involved," She said with a wink.

* * *

><p>He made a choice. There was no going back now. The whole time it had taken him to get there he was at a constant back and forth in his mind. The long trip had done nothing to calm his thoughts. He hated hurting people and he hated that no matter what he chose someone got hurt, but it was inevitable. He had to make a choice and now he did.<p>

He had never been forced to choose between what was right and what his heart wanted. His heart was usually on par with what he thought was right. But this time it was split right down the middle.

He was downright in love with Elena. She was his perfect match in every way. Even now, five years later, she could still set his senses on fire with just one look. Even after so many years apart, he still had every inch of her memorized, the sound of her laughter still made him smile, the smell of her still turned him on, and the taste of her still drove him wild. He didn't know how he had lived without her all those years.

He loved Katherine, too. It had taken him a very long time to get to that point, but he did. She made him crazy at times and she was hard to keep up with, but she was sexy as hell and she knew what she wanted and how to get it.

He raised his hand to knock on her door. He felt nervous. It had been ages since he had ever been nervous before. But here he was, waiting at her front door for his life to forever change, and his palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding.

She opened the door and looked surprised to see him. He knew she wasn't expecting him to show up.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off on you. Not like that," he explained in a rush. He was trying to do whatever he could to keep her from closing that door.

"It's ok," she said softly, with a small smile.

"I love you, Kat," he said with finality. She was his choice.

"I love you, too," she smiled as she pulled him into her loft.

He pressed his body against hers as their lips met. He shut the door behind him and moved her further into her home. She made short work of ridding him of his shirt and he quickly did the same.

He spent his night with her, indulging himself in the woman he was going to marry. Whispering empty 'I love you's into her skin and the whole time pushing away the sinking feeling in his heart that there was someone else he was meant to marry.

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><p><strong>Wow I'm already at 81 reviews. You guys are amazing. Hey, let's see if we can get to 100 with this chapter. That would seriously blow my mind and make my life. <strong>

**New TVD tonight! Who's excited? ME!**

**You guys rock.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again! Wow you guys really almost got me to 100 reviews! You are all so amazing, I wish I could give each of you your own Damon. Thanks to you I was able to pop this chapter out pretty quick even while filling out program applications for Radiology programs. You are amazing and here is chapter 13!**

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><p>July 2006<p>

"Caroline," Elena whined. They had been shopping for three hours and it was 101 degrees outside. She was hot, she was sweaty, and she was tired.

"Come on, Elena," Caroline begged, "We still haven't gotten you a dress for tonight."

She had no clue what she was doing tonight. All she knew is when she woke up there were a dozen red roses outside her door with a card that read "6pm. Wear a Dress". She knew they were from Damon. No one else would send those and only put two sentences on it.

Caroline came over first thing in the morning and Bonnie blabbed about the card and what it said. After that Caroline insisted they go out and find a dress for Elena to wear. It wasn't that Elena wasn't excited. She was. But she hated shopping.

"I have plenty of dresses I could wear at home," Elena complained.

"That is a load of bull and you know it," Caroline sipped her champagne and narrowed her eyes at her as Elena spun in the hundredth dress she had tried on that day. "And holy crap that dress looks stunning on you."

She examined the cream dress in the mirrors. It really did fit her well. The cream complimented her skin tone and it wasn't too short, the hem fell mid-thigh. There were complimenting beaded sequins all over it. Needless to say, she was in love.

"You think?" Elena asked, turning to see the dress from all angles. Caroline got a knowing smile on her face, Elena wasn't leaving without that dress.

"Absolutely," Caroline smiled widely.

"But I don't have any shoes that go with it," Elena mumbled, her face falling a little.

"Actually," Caroline said, looking guilty.

"What did you do?" Elena asked, turning to face her.

"Ok well don't get mad," Caroline held her hands up in mock surrender.

Elena glared at her and waited for her to continue.

"Well I saw this dress here last week and I knew you'd love it. And today I found a pair of shoes that would go perfectly with it," Caroline explained while rifling through her shopping bags.

She pulled out a shoe box and handed it to Elena. She eyed it skeptically before opening it. There sat a pair of the most gorgeous shoes she'd seen. They were Jimmy Choo's and they were satin nude with rhinestones scattered around the fabric.

"Caroline!" Elena squeaked. They were amazing.

"Happy Birthday, Elena," Caroline smiled at her.

* * *

><p>Six o'clock sharp the doorbell rang. Elena sighed and gave her outfit one last once-over. Her heart picked up and her hands suddenly felt sweaty.<p>

She grabbed her clutch and hurried to the door. Not wanting to wait any longer to see him, she practically ripped open the door.

There he stood, looking every bit of a model in his fitted black suit, white shirt, and black tie. His hair was perfectly out of place that was just asking for her to run her fingers through it.

He stared back at her with a look of awe on his face. His eyes darkened with lust as he took in her mile-long legs. Her hair was curled and hung softly around her shoulders. The look in his eyes made her heart flutter.

"Happy birthday," he finally broke the silence with a smirk that made her knees go weak. He held his arm to her and she took it with a smile and let him lead her down the elevator and to the limo that sat in front of her building.

Their dinner was perfect. He took her to the restaurant where they were supposed to have their first date. They laughed and talked over their wine and delicious meals.

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked as they got out of the limo onto the sidewalk in front of his building.

"Extending the evening," he said with a shrug, but a devilish smirk followed soon after and she felt her blood ignite.

He held her hand the whole ride to his floor and he pulled her along the hallway. He swiftly unlocked his door and gestured for her to enter.

The whole loft was pitch black.

"Sorry, I'll get the lights," Damon's voice came from behind her.

The moment the lights came on a chorus of "Surprise" echoed through the whole loft. There stood about fifty of her closest friends all dressed up. The whole entry way and living room were decorated with "Happy Birthday" signs and balloons.

She fielded hugs and birthday wishes for the next few hours, always sneaking glances at Damon and sharing soft brushes against him as she moved around the room. He was hanging back and letting her enjoy her night with her friends.

She was on the couch nursing her aching feet while Damon escorted the last of the guests out the door. He made his way back to the couch and placed her feet in his lap.

"Thank you for tonight, Damon," she said quietly as he started rubbing her feet.

"You are very welcome," he smiled at her. She finally let herself close the space between him and press her lips against his. She'd waited all day to be alone with him and she was reveling in the feeling of being alone with him.

When she pulled away he groaned and placed his hand behind her head to pull her back to his eager lips. That was all she needed to ignite the fire between them. She pressed herself into him and crawled into his lap. She ran her hands through his raven locks that had been asking for her attention all night.

His hands freely roamed up and down her sides and back, occasionally tangling themselves in her hair. She loved how he made her feel. He made her feel special, cherished, and loved.

She detangled herself from him, which was a feat since he made it very difficult.

She wordlessly took his hand in her own and let him to his bedroom to properly thank him for an amazing birthday.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

She couldn't believe she had up and come to New York City with Caroline. Her work had been amazing giving her time off at the last minute. It was a good thing because she didn't have much time to waste.

"Stefan?" Caroline called when they entered the loft they shared. Caroline had refused when Elena tried booking a hotel, insisting that there was no way Elena would stay anywhere but with them.

"Hey, Care," Stefan said, walking into the entryway to greet his wife, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Elena standing there too.

"Caroline?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of Elena as if she'd disappear the moment he did.

"Stefan, don't be rude," Caroline chastised.

"Hey, Stefan," Elena said quietly, not sure how to gauge his reaction.

"What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously.

"What do you think she's doing here?" Caroline interrupted with an eye roll, "She's getting Damon back."

"But Damon's getting married," Stefan said as he turned to his wife, "He's getting married on Saturday."

"Well he's not married yet and I think he's making the biggest mistake of his life," Caroline said with an air of finality to it before she left them alone to take her 'post-plane shower'.

Elena and Stefan stood there for several awkward moments. The tension between them was palpable.

"He's getting married, Elena," Stefan finally broke the silence. His eyes were cold and it startled her because the way she remembered Stefan was warm, bright, and full of love. She knew what she did to deserve his hatred. She hurt his brother and he'd side with his brother 'till kingdom come.

"You know I didn't want to leave," Elena said quietly, trying to make Stefan understand.

"I get that, Elena, I do," he sighed and ran a stressed hand through his hair, "But it doesn't change the fact that you did and it doesn't change what happened after you were gone."

"I know, believe me, I know," she was finding it harder and harder to control her voice.

"You should've come to us. We would've helped you. Damon would've never let Giuseppe get away with it. He would've fought for you. Hell, he did fight for you and finally when he decided to move on with his life, this," he said signaling between them, "happens."

"He doesn't love her like he loves- loved," she amended, "me."

"Loved," he nearly spat the word out, "He loved you. It's in the past, Elena. You had a thing, but he's getting married. Let him live his life."

"You don't get it, Stefan. He'll never love her like he loved me. He'll never be happy with her and you know it. I can see it all over your face. You can't let him take the easy way out just because you're afraid he'll get hurt again. He's a grown man," she snapped at him.

Stefan's silence told her everything she needed to know. He confirmed every move she had made up to this point. He looked up and her hesitantly and she saw all the fear he held for his brother. She knew he was doing what he did out of love. She understood their bond, she even cherished their bond. But today, Stefan was wrong and he knew it.

"I can't guarantee he'll take you back, he's pretty set to go through with the wedding," Stefan said quietly, his voice taking on a whole new tone.

"That was before I decided to fight," Elena said with conviction.

Stefan just gave a small nod before his eyes dropped to the ground. She could almost feel his hesitation and his sadness.

"What was she like?" He asked after a few long moments. His eyes glanced up to hers and she saw them brimming with tears. Her eyes instantly filled with her own tears when she realized what he was asking.

"She was perfect," she said, her voice shaking from the emotions running through her.

"I always wanted a niece," his voice was shaking too and a small tear escaped from his eye. It was in that moment that she saw her best friend again. He was the same man she knew so many years ago. He was loyal, he was protective, and he was still as tender-hearted as the day she met him.

"I know."

She looked up at him with a watery smile.

"I would always imagine the look on your face when you got to see her for the first time. You would've loved her. She looked just like Damon with her fuzzy black hair," she said, her tears falling freely down her face.

"Damon would've been the best father," he said, another tear rolling down his cheek, "He would've loved her so much."

"I know. That was the part that always hurt the most," she almost whispered. The weight of the moment was making it hard to breathe.

"I'm so sorry you had to face that alone, Elena," his voice broke and her tears finally had free reign down her cheeks.

"Sometimes I wonder if I hadn't left if she would've survived," she admitted quietly. It was the first time she every voiced that thought out loud and she was surprised how hard it hit her.

"Elena," Stefan said and closed the space between them to wrap her in a hug, "You can't think like that, please don't ever think like that."

"It was so long ago, but it still hurts so much, Stefan. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her, who she'd become and the life she'd never get to live," she cried into his shoulder.

He ran a soothing hand over her hair and she realized how much she hurt him when she left. He was her best friend. He got her through her last year of undergrad. He was there for her for her whole relationship with Damon. He was the reason she even had a relationship with Damon.

"I'm so sorry I left," she whispered into his tear-stained shoulder.

"Me too," he whispered back, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she smiled as she pulled away, finally having a handle on her emotions.

For the first time since she left Mystic Falls, she finally felt like maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out alright.

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><p><strong>I really loved how the present day scene went with Stefan and Elena, it really shows how strong their bond is. <strong>

**I was pretty bummed out this week because it was brought to my attention that my story You and I was plagiarized (thanks to candy3424 for letting me know). Like the girl stole DIRECT lines from my story. Anyway, I've been a little down about that. I worked hard on that story and it's the first one I finished. It's close to my heart and I feel like it was just taken from me. **

**Anyway, you guys really are such amazing readers, I appreciate all of you so much. I want to get to know you guys better so you can follow me on twitter rachellebelle08 and tumblr .com/ If you follow me, send me a message or what ever to let me know that you read my story and I'll follow you back! I'd really like to get to know you guys cause you really are that awesome.**

**This A/N is getting really long, but one last thing! I have pictures of Elena's birthday dress and shoes here:**

Shoes: .com/s/jimmy-choo-salt-platform-pump/3222045?origin=category&resultback=1873

Dress: .com/s/pisarro-nights-short-sequin-sheath-dress/3251962?origin=category&resultback=2513

**Once again thanks for reading and reviews are love!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, I'm back! Thanks for your amazing reviews. This is my first story to ever hit over 100 reviews. I thank you all so much. Every single one means so much to me! Thank you guys for taking the time to read and send in reviews.**

**Sorry if you read it earlier, or got an alert and the chapter wasn't there. I had to fix a few things, but now it's all ready for y'all!**

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><p>August 2006:<p>

"Do I really have to go in there?" Damon whined as they stood out on the sidewalk in front of the Plaza Hotel.

"Damon, this is part of your job. Besides, I didn't wear a ball gown and heels for nothing," Elena chastised him with a small smile. She couldn't blame him for wanting to ditch. His father had been nothing but cold and unwelcoming to her and now they were facing an entire night centered around him and his company.

"Did I mention that I love you for it?" Damon said with a smirk that stopped her heart for a few seconds. That never got old.

"No, but you showed me plenty of times," she said with a wicked wink and tugged a very speechless Damon into the ballroom.

The place was huge and beautiful and swimming with uptight snobs fighting for a chance to be represented by the Salvatore Print Media Company.

Elena took a deep breath to steady herself and by that time Damon had pulled himself together enough to get his business face on. She smiled up at him and she knew as long as he was by her side, the night wouldn't be that bad.

Damon expertly moved from client to client, impressing them with his knowledge and charming them with one smirk. She smiled and introduced herself when she could, but she was content to stand back and watch him work. He truly shined with what he did. As much as he held resentment toward his father for forcing him into the business, she could tell he liked it.

They moved through the crowds and his hand never left the small of her back. She felt much more comfortable in a room of strangers knowing he was holding onto her. Guiding her.

"Damon!" A sugary sweet voice rang out from behind them. She felt his hand tense on her back and she turned to see a brunette woman coming up to them. She was the definition of perfect. Her dress hugged her in all the right ways, her body was perfect and toned, her hair was styled without a hair out of place. Elena immediately felt inferior to the woman.

"Shit," Damon grumbled when he saw her coming.

The woman walked right up to them and pressed herself up against Damon. That instant Elena hated her.

"Wow, it has been way too long, Damon!" She said, her smile threatening to crack her face.

"It really has, Kat," Damon said sarcastically.

"I've missed you," she lowered her voice and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. It made Elena's blood boil. She could just picture herself launching herself at the woman. She'd take her straight to the ground and lay a few good punches right into that plastic face.

"Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Elena," Damon sidestepped her advance. She almost beamed at him for his clever maneuver.

"Elena, this is Katherine. Katherine, this is Elena, my girlfriend," he introduced. Elena was secretly pleased he'd mentioned the girlfriend part twice already.

"Pleasure, I'm sure," Katherine said, giving her one look and turning back to Damon.

"So how have you been?" She asked him, her voice too sweet. It was starting to make Elena sick.

"I'm going to get a refill," Elena said awkwardly. She didn't wait for their responses because if she stayed a moment more, she'd have Katherine in a headlock.

She walked as fast as possible in her heels.

"I see you met the ex-girlfriend," Giuseppe's voice came from beside her. She turned and used all her might not to glare at him.

"She's a Pierce. Her family owns one of the largest magazine companies in the world," Giuseppe boasted.

"Well good for her," she muttered.

"I can't ever get away from that woman," Damon complained from behind her. She realized Giuseppe had moved on from her and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You ok?" Damon asked as he looked at her. She shook her head and pulled herself together.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him and tried to make it genuine.

"Can we leave yet?" Damon asked, his voice verging on whining.

"Actually, I'd love to," Elena said, taking a deep breath. "I'd do anything to get out of this dress."

"I'd do anything to help you out of it," Damon said with a wink that sent shivers down her spine. Without another word she took his hand and they went laughing all the way to his loft, trying to make up for the time they'd spent in the sea of business associates and potential clients.

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><p>Present Day:<p>

"Hey baby," Katherine greeted him as he sat down to coffee. She had a quick break in the day and they agreed to spend it together.

"Hi, how's your day going?" He asked, smiling at her annoyed expression. "That bad, huh?"

"They are just hammering me with things to do since I'm taking time off for the wedding," Katherine explained before they ordered their usual coffees.

"You'll never guess who I saw today," Katherine said as the waitress left.

"Who?" Damon asked.

"That girl you dated a few years ago... Elisha?" Katherine said, trying to remember her name. Damon's heart stopped.

"Elena?" He barely managed to keep his voice nonchalant.

"Yeah her. She's still as boring as ever, she said she's in town visiting your sister-in-law," she explained with a shrug. Damon hardly heard anything she said after that. All he heard was Elena. All he saw was Elena. He thought he put her behind him when he shattered her in Mystic Falls. Why would she be in New York?

* * *

><p>He wasted no time getting to Caroline and Stefan's apartment. He was livid and all he could see was red. How could they not tell him? Why would they keep this from him?<p>

He pounded down on their door, not really caring if he broke it off the hinges or not. A few moments later the door swung open revealing a very angry Caroline.

"What Damon?" She half way yelled at him.

"Why did Katherine see Elena today?" Damon practically shouted at her.

"Damon, calm down," Caroline said softly, holding her hands up defensively.

"Why did Katherine see her with you?" Damon asked, his voice still dripping with anger.

When Caroline didn't respond immediately, his eyes widened in understanding.

"She's in there with you, isn't she?" He said. It wasn't a question. He didn't wait for an answer either, he just pushed past her like a mad man. And then he found her, just standing off from the entryway and by the look in her big, shining, brown eyes, she'd heard every word.

"You can't be here, Elena," he said, running a hand through his hair. He looked so desperate, and his voice sounded every bit the same. He was almost begging her to leave. She didn't understand what her presence did to him.

"I'm getting married," he said after she opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to find the words to speak.

"I know," she said once she finally found her voice.

"You shouldn't have come," he said, before he turned on his heel and headed back to the door.

"Don't marry her," Elena called after him once he reached the door. She saw his back go tense as he froze with his hand on the door handle. "That's what I came all this way for. Don't marry her. I don't want you to."

He slowly turned around to face her, his face was stoic, but his eyes held the battle waging in him.

"Well that's just too damn bad," he said coldly.

"Why are you punishing me, Damon?" She asked abruptly. She saw surprise flash briefly across his face before disappearing behind his cold mask.

"I understand why you left, I get it. But that doesn't mean it suddenly didn't happen. It doesn't change the fact that I have spent the past five year thinking you abandoned me," he half-yelled.

"I know," she said, her voice quieter than before.

"Then come to find out, you had a child. MY child, Elena," he continued on, his voice increasing in volume with every word, "She is gone now and I didn't even know she existed. How do you think that makes me feel?" She felt like she was hit in the gut hearing him claim Clara as his own. It set off longing so intense it threatened to bring her to her knees. She could see it all, the life she dreamt about for the past five years. Her and Damon getting married, raising their baby girl. She could see the white picket fence and everything. She wanted that life so badly it nearly knocked her flat on the floor.

"Are you trying to hurt me? Is this what I get for leaving?" Elena asked quietly, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm going to marry her no matter what you do," he went on as if she never spoke. His voice dropping low and deadly, "You can cry, scream, yell, I don't care. It won't change my mind. I love her. Not._ You_."

"This is because of your father isn't it?" Elena said with a sad smile on her face. "You were never good enough for him and you think marrying the one person he approved of will some how rectify that. Well news flash, Damon. He's dead."

Her voice was cold and unfamiliar even to her own ears. They stared each other down for several tension filled moments, the only sound was that of their own breathing.

"I don't love you anymore," he said simply, breaking the silence, before turning and disappearing out the door.

Elena stared at the closed door that he had just left through. Then all at once it hit her. She made herself vulnerable, something she hadn't done since she left New York the first time.

Her knees suddenly felt like jello, and her chest felt as though there was a gaping hole in it. She leant back against the wall behind her and allowed herself to sink to the floor, her tears finally breaking free and running down her face. The sound of wretched sobs filled her ears and it took her a few moments to realize she was the one making them. Her whole frame shook from the force of her sobs, the force of the pain.

Caroline came to her side immediately. Elena had completely forgotten Caroline was even in the room. She pulled Elena into her arms and let her cry.

"He doesn't love me," Elena said brokenly and Caroline felt her heart clench for her friend. She had no words to say, nothing that would relieve Elena's pain, so instead she did the only thing she knew and pulled Elena closer into the safety of her arms.

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><p>He was pacing so furiously that he could feel the reverberations of each foot striking the floor in his whole body. Each time he pictured the heartbreak in her eyes, his foot struck the floor harder. He was going to wear a hole in his ten thousand dollar floor.<p>

He hoped after he hurt her in Mystic Falls that he'd never have to do it again. He thought she'd steer clear of him and move on with her life. He never expected her to chase him here and ask him to call off his wedding.

How dare her? Storm back into his life, kicking up all those feelings he'd happily buried years ago, and ask him to break every promise he'd made. How could she just call him out like that? Saying that everything he was doing was because of his father? She didn't know him anymore, he wasn't the same person he had been five year ago.

He walked straight to the liquor cart knowing he couldn't deal with this on his own. He downed two glasses of his favorite whiskey before he ventured back into Elena territory in his mind.

He loved Katherine. He was going to marry Katherine. He was finally moving into a good place in his life when they reconnected. She'd been everything he needed to give him that final push out of the darkness he'd been living in. She was sexy, vibrant, and feisty. She could be a handful, but he always felt like it would keep him on his toes. Not to mention, the sudden change in his father when they started dating was also a plus. It was like he finally started to get to know his father for the first time. He actually laughed in front of Damon when Katherine came to her first dinner with them.

Giuseppe became responsive to the things Damon was doing for the company and he was thriving under his fathers attention. As he and Katherine grew closer, he and his father grew closer as well. For the first time since Elena had left, he felt alive, everything felt right. He fell in love with Katherine, then he proposed and he thought his father would burst with pride.

Then his father passed and Elena happened. She exploded back into his life and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to go on as if nothing happened. He felt guilty because he cheated on Katherine. He'd done the one thing he always told her he never would. He couldn't believe he lost control like that. It frightened him how easy it was to fall back into her. She sucked him right in as soon as his eyes met her doe-eyed gaze.

He threw his glass against the wall out of frustration. He was momentarily satisfied when he heard it shatter. He tried to calm his breathing, but there was nothing he could do to get her out of his head.

If he was honest, she scared him. He lost himself in her without a second thought. She'd hurt him so easily last time that he was afraid of what she could do to him again. He wouldn't survive if that happened again. He didn't trust her not to hurt him.

What scared him most is that he didn't trust himself not to love her.

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><p><strong>You guys really are amazing! This chapter didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it, but I'm pretty satisfied and I can't wait to see what you guys have to say about it! Thanks for sticking with me! <strong>

**Reviews are love!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you all so so so much for your beautiful reviews. You are all so sweet. **

**This is a hefty chapter, but the words just flowed out of me. It was really easy to write. We're winding down the story now, so things are gonna start falling into place for our two favorite people.**

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><p>September 2006:<p>

"Would you ever marry me?" Damon asked suddenly. They were laying tangled in the sheets on his bed.

"What?" Elena asked surprised. She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"I'm not asking you to marry me, Elena, so you can wipe that shocked expression off your face," he chuckled as his lips formed his usual smirk. "I was just asking if you would ever consider it."

Elena seemed to relax at that, and snuggled herself back into his side, her head on his chest.

She let the images take her away. Her in all white, Damon in a tuxedo, standing at the end of the isle in a small chapel. There would only be a small gathering of close friends. They would smile at each other, Damon's eyes would shimmer with unshed tears.

She pictured them down the road, what their kids would look like. How many they would have. Where they would live. And then she had her answer.

"Yeah," she sighed softly, enjoying the pictures her mind was conjuring up, "I think I would."

Damon laid still beneath her and she suddenly wondered if she had done something wrong.

"Would you consider it?" She asked quietly after a few long moments of heavy silence. She was suddenly feeling self-conscious. What if he didn't feel the same? Did she totally freak him out?

Finally he moved so he was laying propped up on his side, his head resting on his elbow facing her. She mimicked his position and allowed herself to get lost in the soft look in his eyes.

He smiled at her slightly.

"Yeah, I would," he said softly.

His answer set her heart a flutter. So she did the only thing she could think of and closed the distance between their lips. She reveled in the feeling of his soft lips pressing firmly against hers. She pulled back and saw his eyes were darkened with lust.

He moved so his body lay against hers and kissed her again, running his hand through her hair and holding her head in place. His tongue ran gently across the seam of her lips and she opened her mouth to welcome him in.

Their tongues dueled in a sultry dance as Damon rolled her underneath him. She could feel him everywhere, his skin on her skin, his tongue on her tongue, his scent filled her nose, and he was all she could see behind her eyelids. Her hands frantically grazed across his skin, trying to touch as much as possible.

He pulled back from her mouth and she opened her eyes to see pure adoration in his gaze. They laid like that for several long moments, just absorbed in each other and basking in their love.

* * *

><p>Present Day:<p>

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Caroline whined. Her voice even carried over the crowded airport. They stood right outside security to say goodbye.

"Caroline, you know the answer to that," Elena said, "Damon's getting married in an hour and I don't want to be here for it. I just need to go home and move on with my life."

"You know he was lying when he said all that, don't you?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't know that, but I just can't do this anymore. If he's ok lying to me and to himself, then fine. I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for him to snap out of it," Elena sighed, running her hands through her hair.

She had spent the better part of two days trying to decided if this was a fight she wanted to keep fighting. It wasn't. She wasn't a quitter, but there was only so much pain her heart could take. Now she just had to go back home, spend some time to herself and move on with her life. And she was ok with that. This part of her life had to be over.

So she steeled herself, picked up her bag, and stretched an arm around her best friend.

"Thank you so much, Caroline," Elena said.

Caroline's arms wrapped around her and squeezed her tight before letting her go and stepping away. Tears were brimming her eyes and Elena felt her eyes sting in return.

"Take care of yourself and please come visit me," Caroline gave her a watery smile that Elena returned.

"I will," she said as she turned and walked down the security line. She made it through quickly, she gathered her things and made her way to her terminal.

She sat alone in a corner in her gate when she finally let herself feel what she'd been blocking out for two days. Tears streamed silently down her face as she confronted Damon's rejection. She looked at her clock, 41 minutes until Damon would be married and out of her life forever.

It should've been her. The thought that she'd never let herself acknowledge was on blast in her mind.

It could've been her. If she never ran five years ago, she would've married him without a doubt in her mind. Even now, five years later, she could still see herself happily married to him. She should've gone to Damon after she spoke with Giuseppe that fateful morning. Damon would've helped her, Stefan would've helped her.

A soft sob escaped her mouth and here, in the crowded airport, she had never felt so alone.

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><p>There he stood, at the altar. The church was giant and extravagant, just like Katherine wanted. He saw all their family, friends, and people who pretended to be either just to be at the "Wedding of the Year". His tie felt too tight, the large cathedral felt like it was closing in on him. He glanced at Stefan who was talking to one of the other groomsmen.<p>

He thought back to how he got to this point. He thought about his relationship with Katherine and how right it felt. How all the encouragement from his father helped push him toward Katherine. His father would be beaming if he were here. Damon just knew it. But he wasn't. He was no longer here to encourage the relationship Damon was in and suddenly it didn't feel right. Everything felt different now that there was no reinforcement keeping him there. And there he stood wondering if their whole relationship flourished because of his father.

He always knew that answer. Yes. Yes it did. It wasn't until that moment that he allowed himself to consider that. But before he had time to consider what that meant, the doors in the back opened and the music began. He forced all thoughts out of his mind as he stared down the isle.

Slowly, the bridesmaids made their way down the isle. He felt like they were moving in slow motion. What felt like hours later, though it was minutes, he saw the little flower girl emerge and playfully make her way down the isle.

Finally he saw the bundle of white at the end of the isle. Slowly she started to move toward him and he felt the anxiety creep up his chest. His hands were sweaty and he felt a weight settle over his lungs. Air was thick and sticky in his airways. He felt like he was drowning.

Then it was like everything happened in slow motion. As he stared at the bride coming down the isle he realized the longing in his heart had wished it was Elena coming toward him. It was like that moment when a coin is flipped, and as the coin turns end-over-end in mid air, only then does the person realize what they want, what they are wishing the coin lands on. Heads or tails? Katherine or Elena?

That moment was the coin. Slowly, it turned end-over-end just as Katherine made her way down the isle. Only in that moment did he truly realize what he'd been lying to himself about. Who he wanted. He didn't need that coin to land, or Katherine to meet him at the alter to know. He wanted Elena. He'd always wanted Elena. It was why he'd lashed out at her so passionately, why he finally realized that Katherine wasn't what he wanted. It was who his father wanted, Damon only wanted his father's approval. He wanted it so badly that after he died Damon was already so convinced that he loved her.

Fate was a heartless bitch.

Just as his father passed, Elena entered his life again. He knew she'd never successfully leave it either. He would have to force her out. Only then did he find that it was a mistake. His father was dead. He'd never be there to cheer him on and encourage him that marrying Katherine was the right thing. Damon finally understood that it was a good thing. Katherine was never the right choice, yet he'd never realize that if his father was still alive.

Maybe fate wasn't so heartless after all.

His mind snapped back to the present and Katherine was nearing him now. She looked beautiful, but his mind only wanted to see Elena in all white, in a small church, only surrounded by people they loved.

Katherine's expectant glaze faltered as she took in Damon's face. It was like he was seeing someone else standing before him.

She stepped closer to him and his heart had chosen. It had chosen five years ago and never let go. He just never let himself hold onto that hope that they'd have a chance. He was an idiot. He let her go. He _made_ her go.

"I'm so sorry," his broken whisper left his lips and he saw the recognition in Katherine's eyes. Her eyes flooded with tears that she furiously tried to blink back.

"It's her, isn't it," she whispered, it wasn't a question. A lone tear broke through and fell down her cheek. He softly brushed it away with the pad of his thumb before he nodded. His eyes full of tears as well. He didn't want to hurt her. He truly did love her, but it was a love built on a rocky foundation. A foundation of false adoration and his desperate longing for his father's approval.

When he looked into her eyes he saw himself as a young boy doing anything and everything to feel his father's love after watching his mother pass away. He didn't want to be that boy. He needed to let him go.

"I'm sorry," he whispered one last time before he turned and practically ran out the side door. He could hear the surprised gasps of the audience, it only fueled him to move faster, he needed to escape the sound. He needed to see Elena.

"Damon!" He heard his name being called. He barely registered it was his brother's voice when he felt a hand on his arm turning him around.

"What happened in there?" Stefan asked, obviously still shocked. They stared at each other in silence as Caroline ran to catch up with him.

"Where is she?" Damon ignored his brother and turned to Caroline.

"At the airport," Caroline answered without hesitation. She knew exactly what was happening before Katherine even approached the alter. Caroline had seen everything written so plainly on his face.

"When does she leave?" He asked quickly, checking his watch.

"In about a half hour," Caroline said sadly, "You'll never make it in time."

"I have to try," he said desperately. Stefan and Caroline just nodded as they followed him to the street and into Damon's car that was outside waiting. Damon slid into the drivers seat as Caroline jumped into the passenger seat and Stefan in the back.

They drove in silence, neither Caroline nor Stefan wanting to distract Damon from his crazed driving.

It seemed like it took ages, but he made it to the airport in record time. Twenty minutes. Elena's plane would leave any moment. He pulled up to the curb and didn't even turn his car off before jumping out and running inside. He frantically studied the departures board before his eyes landed on one plane departing for Virginia. As soon as he saw which gate she'd be leaving from, he took off running.

He ran into security, trying his best not to lash out at the TSA. He quickly stepped out of his shoes, emptied his pockets and waited his turn to go through the metal detector.

He made it through and found her gate on the screens. He took off running like a mad man down the terminal, shouting her name the whole way. He glanced at every gate number as he passed it until he finally found hers. His heart sank as he noticed the door to board was closed.

"You have to stop that plane!" He yelled at the attendants at the boarding desk.

"Sir, that plane is already gone. It just pulled onto the runway. I'm sorry," the lady spoke calmly, looking more than a little afraid of the panting man in a tux in front of her.

"Please, you have to get it back here. I don't care how, it just needs to come back," he practically begged. He could feel his eyes stinging slightly, but he refused to give up yet.

"There is nothing I can do, I'm sorry. The plane has already taken off."

* * *

><p>Damon sat at his favorite bar, drowning himself in whiskey and regret. It was the first time all day that he had a chance to truly reflect on what happened that day.<p>

He'd left Katherine at the altar. For him, that was the easiest decision of his life, even if it took him ages to actually see that. He couldn't commit to her knowing that his love belonged to someone else. She didn't deserve that. He liked to think he deserved to be with someone he loved with whole being.

He stared off into the amber liquid in his glass as he thought about his mad dash through JFK airport. People had looked at him like he was crazy, some may have even recognized him as that guy from the tabloids.

He groaned. The tabloids were going to have a heyday with him. Ditching the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the nation, then running wild through the airport calling someone else's name.

Elena's name.

Elena.

The name resonated in his head all day. She was gone. He didn't even get a chance to stop her.

"I thought I'd find you here," he turned to the sound of his brother's voice, still wearing his tuxedo, but the tie hung loose around his neck and the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up.

"Hello, brother," Damon deadpanned. He was just so tired. His emotions had been through the ringer.

Stefan sat down and ordered a drink. It arrived quickly and they just sat in silence. One waiting for the other to speak first.

"What am I going to do now?" Damon asked quietly, not even looking up from the bar.

Stefan sighed, trying to come up with the right words to comfort his brother.

"As I see it, you can do one of two things. You can get up, shower, and get on a plane and go after her, or you can get up, shower, and move on with your life hoping that one day it all won't hurt so much," Stefan said, looking at the broken man next to him. His heart hurt for his brother.

"You're saying I can't just stay here until I'm piss drunk?" Damon joked dryly.

Stefan gave a humorless chuckle.

"Damon, if you want her, you need to be a man and tell her. You hurt her the other day and now you need to fix it. If that's what you want," Stefan said.

Damon processed what his brother was saying. He was right, he was always right. He stood abruptly and dropped enough money to cover his drinks and Stefan's.

"It's what I want."

* * *

><p><strong>There was only so long that Damon could be an idiot. But I hope I did ok kind of explaining just why he wanted to be with Katherine. But there is only so long you can be in a relationship that was built because of someone else.<strong>

**I hope you liked it! Send me a review and let me know what you thought!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 is here! First, thank you all so so so much for your amazing reviews! I'm so happy you all loved the last chapter, I did too! And I hope you love this chapter too!**

**PS I'm trying to get caught up with my review responses, so be patient with me!**

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><p>April 2006:<p>

She had to be on the worst date of her life. She could've sworn she'd been with him for hours, when in reality they'd only been in the bar a few minutes. Tyler was nice, but he was already boring her to tears, yet his hands sure had an active imagination. And to make matters worse, she couldn't stop comparing him to her date with Damon. It was infuriating. He was invading her thoughts without her permission, just like he'd invaded her life.

She was praying that the couple they were doubling with would get there soon. Maybe then the conversation wouldn't feel so strained. They slid into a booth together; she chose to sit across from him. She wanted to put as much distance between her and his grabby hands as she could.

"Tyler!" She heard a female voice call out from beside her. She looked up to see a tall model-esque woman coming toward them.

"Hey Andie, meet Elena. Elena, this is my co-worker, Andie," Tyler introduced and they shook hands quickly.

"Where is your date?" Tyler asked her as she slid into the booth next to him.

"Right here," A melodic voice rang out. Elena's skin was instantly crawling with goosebumps. She didn't even need to turn to see who it was. He didn't miss a beat and slid into the booth right next to her. His jean-clad leg brushed her bare one and left a trail of burning flesh in its wake. She chastised herself for having such a strong reaction to him.

"Elena, Tyler, this is Damon. Damon this is Elena and Tyler," Andie introduced. Damon said his hello to Tyler before turning to Elena. She finally built up the self control to look at him, but that broke as soon as she saw his dazzling smile.

"Hello Elena," he smirked with a playful twinkle in his eyes that she wanted to gouge out with a fork.

"Hi Damon," she managed to mutter.

The night only got worse from there. The three of them conversed easily and she tried to act interested. She was being distracted at Damon's "accidental" grazes against her legs, her arms, and her hip. She was going mad and her body was reacting so strongly, she was sure he could sense it. He seemed to be getting some sick enjoyment out of touching her.

Ever since their kiss after Stefan and Caroline's engagement party, her body had a violent reaction to his nearness. Which is exactly why she'd been trying to keep her distance from him. She wasn't used to feeling so much for one guy, and she definitely wasn't used to him telling her he felt the same.

When the small booth became too much to handle, she turned to Tyler, "Hey, do you want to dance?"

His smile dropped off his face and he immediately looked uncomfortable.

"I don't know, Elena. I'm not really a dancer," he said shyly.

"Why don't I dance with you?" Damon said with a smirk in his voice.

"That's a great idea!" Andie's voice squealed before Elena could say no.

She just sighed and took his outstretched hand and followed him through the throng of people on the dance floor. Once on the other side of the crowd, Damon wrapped his arms around her, grabbing one of her hands in his, and setting her heart off. She carefully wrapped her other arm around his neck and followed his lead as they swayed to the music.

"You've been pushing me away," Damon said softly in her ear. His breath was warm on the side of her face and she had to clamp down on her self control.

"I am not," she said defiantly.

"You are afraid," he continued as if she didn't say anything as he lowered his hand on her back just a little, but enough to drive her crazy.

"No, I'm not," she said, her voice coming out shakier than she wanted.

"Your body isn't afraid, but your mind is," he whispered, smirking against her skin as goosebumps erupted where his breath touched.

"What does it matter, you have Andie now," Elena said as she pulled away from him slightly, being so close to him was doing crazy things to her.

"Andie is just a friend, and is that jealously I hear?" Damon mused with that smirk still plastered on his face. She wanted to badly to slap it off. Or kiss it off.

She shook her head to clear the thought before responding, "No. It isn't."

"Well if you aren't afraid of me, then you won't mind if I kiss you again," he said in a low, husky voice. Her eyes snapped to his and she was immediately stuck in them. She watched him slowly lower his face to hers. She did nothing to stop him. She didn't want to stop him. She closed her eyes just as his lips touched hers. And then everything was on fire. She pressed her lips against his and opened her mouth as his tongue sought entrance. Her body melted against his and she lost herself in him. And all too soon, he pulled away.

"Damon," his name left her lips in a strangled whisper, her eyes still closed.

"You are a terrible liar," he said, resting his forehead against hers. She opened her eyes to get lost in his.

"I know," she whispered back before giving in and pressing her lips against his once more.

* * *

><p>Present Day:<p>

Her plane ride was miserable. Between getting motion sick and her constant thoughts about Damon, she was a mess by the time the plane landed. The whole flight she thought about him, where he was, what was he doing. It was masochistic, but she let herself. Half way through the flight she realized that she needed to be done with him. He had obviously moved on and didn't want her in his life and she needed to do the same. She couldn't live her life wondering what could've happened. She owed it to herself to move on.

She let out an audible sigh of relief when she saw Bonnie waiting for her in the airport. Tears instantly gathered in her eyes and she blinked them back, chastising herself for being so emotional, as she ran to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. They held onto each other for a few long moments before Elena finally took a step back.

"He's a jerk," Bonnie said, grabbing one of Elena's bags off the ground.

"Yes he is," Elena agreed, "And I have decided it's time to move on and get back in the game."

Bonnie stopped walking at stared at her as a brief flash of shock crossed her features.

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

"Yes really," Elena laughed and rolled her eyes, "I'm done with the tears and no matter how much I cry about him, he's never coming back into my life. I have to cope with that and what better way than a rebound?"

"Are you sure that is smart?" Bonnie asked hesitantly.

"If he can move on, then so can I. I can't live my life in the past anymore. He's gone and I need to move on. I have to move on," she said firmly.

"It's not going to be easy," Bonnie warned.

"I know, but it's time," Elena said. Suddenly her ears started ringing and she felt her face flush as it had on the plane. She mumbled to Bonnie that she'd be right back before taking off toward the nearest restroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach into a toilet. She didn't have much to give, so she was stuck dry heaving into the porcelain bowl.

When her nausea subsided, she washed her hands and her face in the sink. She felt instantly better, but she hoped she'd survive the drive back to Mystic Falls.

Bonnie was waiting for her outside the bathroom when she walked out.

"Everything ok?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah," Elena shrugged, grabbing her bag from Bonnie, "I just got motion sick from the flight and it's still not agreeing with me."

* * *

><p>His moment of courage quickly slipped away with his drunkenness. He was pacing his floor wondering exactly how he was going to win her back. Was it even possible?<p>

The look of hurt on her face flashed in his mind. He told her that he didn't love her. He couldn't have told a bigger lie. He hoped that saying it out loud, saying it to her, would help him get over her. He was so wrong.

His laptop sat open on his desk as he paced in front of it. He had a web browser pulled up with ticket prices to Virginia. Yet he couldn't get up the courage to purchase one. He found himself in this same position everyday for the past week.

Things with the paparazzi had only gotten worse a week after the wedding. Everyone wanted a statement, something they could use for a juicy story, but he wasn't talking and apparently neither was Katherine. She didn't need to be hounded with brutal reminders of what she lost. He felt guilty, but he would've felt worse marrying into a lie. He needed the excuse to get out of the city. Virginia was the perfect place.

But he couldn't just show up to her home and beg for her back. She'd never take him back, but he had to try something. He couldn't live without her. He barely survived the past five years, how would he survive the rest of his life? He needed her, all of her. He wanted to marry her; he wanted her to have his children, to grow old together. He wanted it all without a shadow of a doubt in his mind. So why was it so difficult to just purchase his ticket and win her back?

He knew the longer he waited, the more likely it would be that she had moved on. He didn't like that thought. It made him physically ill to picture her with anyone but him. The image haunted his dreams at night, but every time he went to buy his plane ticket, he chickened out. He was too afraid to put his heart on the line just to have it shattered. Just like he did to her.

Maybe he deserved to be alone. After rejecting Elena and then humiliating Katherine on her wedding day, Karma was probably sending him a message. He was destined to be alone for the rest of his life. Maybe he would just have to come to terms with that.

His mind wandered to how long Elena would last being single especially after he ripped himself from her life. He saw images of guys trying to put the moves on her, trying to kiss her, to sleep with her and he felt his stomach churn. And then without another moment's hesitation he walked to his computer and selected a flight out of New York and purchased it.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure how well this moving on thing was actually going. She was sitting across from her fourth date in two weeks. He was a tanned surfer from Florida. He met every criterion on her list: tall, muscular, funny, broad smile. Mason was incredibly handsome with his hazel eyes and curly hair.<p>

"So what do you do for a living, Mason?" She asked over dinner.

"I am a city planner for the town of Mystic Falls," he explained.

"Wow, I bet that comes in handy for your sister-in-law," Elena chuckled as she twirled her pasta around her fork.

"Yep, Carol loves to force me into helping with all her projects," Mason laughed with her. His brother was Mayor Lockwood and Carol, his wife was always throwing some sort of party for the town.

"Speaking of said projects," he continued, "There's a Founder's Day ball on Friday and I was wondering if you'd like to be my date."

Elena froze mid-bite. She was fine going from date to date with different men, but she wasn't sure what to do with a second date. She decided that she needed to put herself out there and she found herself agreeing to accompany him.

"I had fun tonight, Mason," she said as he walked her to her door after dinner.

"I did too," he smiled at her. He was so warm and friendly that Elena felt comfort in his presence, but something had been off all night. She couldn't quite place it. Actually, she didn't want to place it, because she knew the exact reason for it. It made her angry that she still couldn't push him to the back of her mind. So angry that when she locked eyes with Mason and he started leaning in, she didn't fight it and let him kiss her.

It was a sweet, gentle kiss, but when he pulled back, she didn't find herself missing the contact of his lips against hers. She didn't feel that craving for him. She didn't feel her heartbeat pick up and her blood light on fire. He smiled at her as she felt her head start swimming and her stomach queasy. She quickly bid him goodnight and ran inside to the nearest bathroom before she emptied her dinner into her toilet. She wondered if there was something from dinner that didn't sit well with her as she rifled through the cabinet under the sink for a new roll of paper towels.

Then she spotted something in the back corner of the cabinet that made her heart sink through the floor. A box of tampons. She mentally counted back the days in her mind and was horrified to discover she was late. She was never late. She was never late by a whole week. Ever.

Immediately tears flooded her eyes and she felt the strangest sense of déjà vu. It was like she was taken right back to the same place she'd been five years before. She knew without a test or a doubt in her mind.

She was pregnant.

* * *

><p><strong>BAHH! So many of you were rooting for Elena to be pregnant and for a while I wasn't planning on it, it just felt right in this chapter, so I went with it. <strong>

**I know there was no Delena this chapter, but next chapter is pretty heavy Delena. I'm going to guess that we have like 2-3 chapters left and probably a epilogue. **

**So several of you have contacted me for my email incase SOPA/PIPA pass. (Which I doubt they will. *knock on wood*) So, I decided I'll post my email for you incase, so you can get updates. I also have a Livejournal if you guys want to follow that too. I'm going to start posting things there too.**

**My LJ address is: princessme385 (dot) livejournal (dot) com**

**My email is: rachellebelle08 gmail (dot) com **

****Obviously, just remove the dots. haha****

****So that's that. Thank you all so much for reading and to all my reviewers. I love hearing what you have to say and what you get excited about or mad about. It makes me feel like you are really enjoying the story and that makes my heart smile! ****


	17. Chapter 17

November 2006

"Damon, this has got to stop," Giuseppe bellowed in Damon's office. Damon hardly even reacted to his father's tone, choosing to pretend to focus on the documents in front of him.

"Are you even listening?" Giuseppe growled at his son.

"No, I'm not," Damon shrugged. He hadn't heard from Elena in over a month. He knew his father did something, but he was still holding onto hope that she'd turn up one day asking him to help her fix it. Which he would. He would always help her.

"Damn it, Damon," His father shouted as his fists landed with a bang on Damon's desk. He finally looked up to the rage in his father's eyes.

"What Dad? Am I not following the plan? Well last time I did that you took it upon yourself to fix it, so I assume you'll take care of this as well," he snapped bitterly.

"You need to stop punishing me for Elena," Giuseppe warned, "I did you a favor."

At his father's words, Damon became enraged. His blood boiled, his heart rate increased, and all he could see was red. He rose from his desk and placed his palms on the flat surface to look straight into his father's eyes.

"Let me spell this out for you, I will never stop punishing you for what you did to Elena," Damon hissed, "Don't ever think you did me a favor or that you will ever be forgiven."

Instead of listening to whatever his father had to respond to that, Damon gathered his things and quickly left his office. He knew if he spoke to his father any longer, he'd say or do something he'd regret. So instead, he did what he always did. He walked to his favorite bar, get drunk, and told whoever would listen about the love of his life before the bartender would cut him off and call him a cab home.

And every night he remained convinced that he'd never be happy again.

* * *

><p>Present Day:<p>

Elena was exhausted before she even got up. Her sleepless nights had finally caught up to her and they weren't letting her off easy. She dragged herself to her kitchen and poured herself a cup of superficial energy. The smell of coffee alone was enough to perk her up a little and just as she poured herself a cup, she was startled by a loud knock at her door. And another.

It was way too early for someone to be banging on her door. Still, she pulled her robe tight around her and threw the door open. She almost slammed it closed when the image of Damon, clad in all black as usual, standing on her porch invaded her vision. His blue eyes were full of remorse as he looked right into her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She said with an acidic voice. Seeing him instantly reminded her that she was pregnant, a thought she would try to avoid before noon on most days.

"I'm here to fight for you, for us," he said firmly. Her heart sunk at his words. It was everything she wanted to hear and everything she dreaded hearing.

"You threw in the towel that day at Caroline's. You don't get to fight anymore. Besides, shouldn't you be _married_," she practically hissed. She made a decision on him and she was working so hard to stick to it. She actually had been doing well, but then he showed up at her house and destroyed all her progress with one look. A small voice in her mind told her that she needed to tell him about the pregnancy, she owed it to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"Please just let me explain. I said those things because I thought it would be easier to marry Katherine if you hated me. It didn't work. I didn't marry her, Elena," he explained in a rush, "Because I'm still in love with you. Nothing has changed that and now I know that nothing will."

His words silenced that voice very quickly. How dare he show up here thinking that she'd just fall into his arms and let her back into her life after all they'd been through? Her eyes started stinging at his words. They were so bittersweet. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to just throw herself into his arms and never leave, but she knew she couldn't. She would never let herself feel that heartache again.

"I can't, Damon," she whispered brokenly, "It's too late."

Before he had the chance to protest she slammed the door in his face. She stared at the closed door wondering where she ever got the strength to do it. The tears she'd been fighting were threatening to spill, but she refused to cry anymore. He would not get anymore tears. She would suck it up and move on with her life.

She stood there for the longest time trying to convince herself that one day she'd be happy again.

* * *

><p>8 o'clock sharp her doorbell rang and she hurried down the stairs to open it. She smiled when she saw Mason in his suit waiting for her. She felt good being able to move on, that was what she told herself at least.<p>

He looked her up and down with hungry eyes that made her feel a little uncomfortable, but she bushed it off as she smoothed down her navy gown.

The party was in full swing when they arrived and she wished so badly that she wasn't pregnant, because she could really use some champagne. She thought that she could just push Damon out of her life and move on, but then she realized she was pregnant- which was confirmed by two different tests- and he showed up on her porch telling her everything she wanted to hear. She knew she should've told him about the pregnancy, but she was afraid. She was afraid for her own heart because she would never be able to handle it if he rejected her again.

She tried to get lost in her evening with Mason, but Damon's face kept making appearances in her mind. She dance with Mason, but mentally noted that he wasn't a smooth as Damon. His hands were clammy where Damon's would be warm. His feet bumped hers, where Damon's would glide across the floor. Everything Mason did was compared to Damon. She wondered briefly if Damon would make an appearance at the event while he was in town. A part of her wished he would. All of her wished he would.

Halfway through the evening, Mason mentioned getting some fresh air, which she agreed that she needed. He took her hand and led her opposite the doors she assumed they'd go through.

"Mason," Elena asked as he tugged more forcefully on her hand, "Where are we going?"

He led them down a long hallway and pulled her through one of the doorways. They were in a large study. It had a giant wooden desk right in the middle of the room with a few couches facing each other. Her head whipped around when she heard the faint click of the door being closed. This was not what she imagined when he said fresh air.

"It was just getting too crowded out there," he said quietly as he walked closer to her. Something about that moment didn't sit well with her. Her heartbeat picked up and her palms started to get clammy.

Before she could say anything else, he slammed his lips against hers and pushed her against the large desk. She was so shocked that she stood frozen before her mind switched into overdrive. His hands started to pull the fabric of her gown up her legs as he rubbed his groin into her.

Her hands came up to his chest to push him off her, but he misinterpreted it and it only fueled him on. His lips moved away from hers and kissed a path down her neck.

"Mason, stop," she said firmly, but he ignored her as his hands settled on her bare thighs and slowly started inching upward.

"Mason," she said louder, a little panic starting to color her tone, "I said stop."

She tried with all her strength to push him off, but he remained unmovable. Her heart rate skyrocketed and her mind was going a mile a minute. When his hands reached her lace underwear, everything went into panic mode. She started moving frantically trying whatever she could to escape his clutches.

"I said stop!" She screamed, her hands shakily trying to pry his out from under her dress. His head snapped up and his hand covered her mouth almost as soon as the sound left it.

"And I say that you need to shut up," he growled at her.

Suddenly a million things happened at once. His hand reached out and ripped her underwear from off her body and as soon as his other hand left her mouth she let out an earsplitting scream. In the same moment, she heard the door to the study being kicked open and suddenly Mason's body was ripped away from her. She closed her eyes tight against the tears threatening to fall as she heard the grunts from Mason as her savior delivered strong punches, probably to Mason's face. Then suddenly there was silence.

"Elena?" She heard a melodic voice softly calling her name. She closed her eyes tighter because she knew if she opened them she'd be disappointed to see it wasn't who she was praying for.

She decided that she couldn't hide forever and finally opened her eyes. She was bombarded with the image of Damon standing a few feet from her, his hands up in front of him like he was afraid to touch her. His dress shirt was untucked and his tie was hanging limp around his neck.

She opened her mouth to say something, but instead of words coming out, a wave of nausea hit her so hard that she didn't think twice about running from the room and into the nearest bathroom. Her stomach wretched as she hovered over the toilet, letting the nausea remove whatever she had put in her stomach that day.

Damon had gotten to the party much later than he'd planned. He'd been personally invited by Carol that day when he was walking aimlessly in the town's square. He'd just walked in when he spotted Elena laughing with a tall, tan man. They spoke seriously for a few moments before the man took her hand and led her away. His heart sunk in his chest to see her smiling with someone else. He grabbed himself a glass of champagne and downed it before moving further into the Lockwood's home.

He chatted mindlessly with several people, pretending to listen to them, but in reality he was searching for Elena. He excused himself and started to wander down the same hallway he saw her disappear into. He moved further down the hall when he heard a blood curdling scream. He moved quickly to follow the sound. He opened every door until he found them. The scene in front of him set his blood on fire and all he could see was red. Without a moment of hesitation he ripped Mason's body from Elena's and threw him on the floor before Damon pounced on him and laid a few hard punches to his jaw.

He tried to call her name as she stood frozen where he found her with her eyes tightly shut. When she finally opened her eyes, her face went pale and she darted from the room.

Damon stood in shock as Elena dashed out of the room so quickly. It took him a few minutes to process what happened and then finally set out after her. He checked every room down the long hallway until he finally found the door to the bathroom open. He tentatively pushed the door open and saw Elena curled up in the far corner of the bathroom, sobbing quietly to herself.

"Elena?" He asked softly. She slowly lifted her head off her knees to look at him. She was a mess, mascara tracking down her cheeks with her tears, her hair had been pulled from her styled up-do, her face pale, and her whole body was shaking.

"Damon," she whispered in a broken voice and that was all it took for him to drop to his knees and take her up in his arms. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and gently stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder. He could almost feel all her pain and anguish coming off her in waves.

The moment his arms wrapped around her, she felt like she was home. She cried out in relief to have him there, in fear of what had just transpired with Mason, and for herself. How would she tell him that she was pregnant? How would he take it? He had just showed up on her doorstep begging for another chance, would he still want it if he knew?

When she finally calmed herself, he took her up in his arms and lifted her from the floor and set her on the bathroom counter. He grabbed a washcloth and wet it before pressing it against her face and clearing away all the mess from that night. He worked meticulously and she stayed perfectly still, afraid that with one movement she'd scare him away.

When he was wiping the last of her makeup off, she slowly reached out and stopped his hand. He looked at her curiously, but she gave him a small smile before taking a deep breath and preparing for what she was about to say. She would not make the same mistake she made five years ago.

"Damon," she whispered. His eyes were soft when hers met his as his other hand gently cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I'm-" She started, but she was cut off by the bathroom door being thrown open and Carol Lockwood's panicked voice filling the small space. They jumped apart at her sudden intrusion.

"Elena!" She said in a rush, "You poor dear! I am so sorry for what happened. The Sheriff is here to take your statement," then she turned to Damon, "Yours too. Thank goodness you were there so quickly."

Carol instructed them to follow her and Elena reluctantly pushed herself off the counter to follow Damon and Carol. As they made their way down the hall to the main living room, her hand somehow found its way into Damon's and stayed there through the whole process of questioning. It took quite a bit of prying on his part to separate their hands when they had to be questioned individually.

She had decided that she wouldn't press charges. It was just too much to handle at that point. Finally, she was allowed to go home. Then she realized that Mason had driven her. She stood awkwardly in the entryway of the Lockwood mansion trying to think of a way home when a velvety voice floated into her ears.

"Need a ride?" She turned to see him exiting the room he'd been taken into. She opened her mouth to speak, but when no sound came out she just nodded her head and followed him to his car.

The ride to her house was short and silent. All the courage she'd built up in that small bathroom was shattered the second Carol's voice filled it.

"Are you ok, Elena?" He soft voice broke through her thoughts. They stood on her doorstep and she didn't even remember how they got there. She'd been so consumed in her own mind.

"Yes, thank you, for everything," she said quietly, glancing up into his ice blue eyes from under her lashes.

"Well Salvatore does mean savior," he smirked at her with a wink that turned her legs to jello. She smiled a little, but it fell when she remembered what exactly she was keeping from him.

"You're sure you're ok?" He asked when he saw her face fall so suddenly.

She shook her head this time as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I have to tell you something," she said quietly, her voice shaking.

"What is it?" Concern was written all over his features.

She took a deep breath, there was no going back. She would not repeat her mistake. He had to know, and she had to be the one to tell him.

"I'm pregnant."

The silence that followed was more deafening than any sound she'd ever heard.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your sweet reviews and adding this to your favoritesalerts list. You are all amazing and make me so happy.**

** I'll be sad to see this story end because it's the first I've ever received over 100 reviews for. So thank you for that. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And if you sent me an email about the SOPA thingy, I got it don't worry! **

**PS, I posted a preview of the first chapter of my new story that will eventually make it onto this website, but if you want to give it a read the link is: princessme385 (dot) livejournal (dot) com **

**It's the most M rated thing I've ever written, but don't get too excited. I wouldn't exactly call it "smut", but it's pretty close. Haha **

**Anyway, reviews are love!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here it is, the last chapter of Remember When!**

* * *

><p>Silence.<p>

The only sound that filled her ears was the pounding of her own heart. His face drained of all color as they stood there. Time seemed to be moving at a glacial pace. His face gave no indication of what he was feeling.

"Damon," her voice cracked as she whispered his name. His eyes seemed to focus a little more hearing her voice, "Say something, please."

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly, still slightly dazed from her revelation.

All she could do was nod with teary eyes and a quivering chin. She was hoping for any reaction at all. Maybe he would yell, or scream, anything. Anything other than his blank face. All she wanted was to hear his voice, to know exactly where he stood.

"I know I caught you off guard, but I wasn't going to make my same mistake twice. You deserved to know," she explained quietly. He raised his hand and gently cupped the side of her face.

"It's ok," he whispered softly, his thumb running over the smooth skin of her cheek.

"You're not mad," she asked thickly, her tears still threatening to run down her face.

His eyes were soft as he shook his head, "No, I'm not mad."

Relief flooded through her so strongly, she almost collapsed from it. Her tears broke free, but they were no longer tears of fear. They were tears of relief.

"Elena," he whispered her name. Her gaze flicked up to his and she saw his eyes shining with unshed tears, "Please don't push me away. I want to be with you. I know I made a mistake, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I don't want to miss this. I meant it this morning when I said I wanted to be with you and I mean it even more so now."

"Damon," she cried his name. It was supposed to be a warning, a rebuttal, but it came out as a plea.

"I will work every single day for the rest of our lives proving to you that I mean that, Elena," Damon said passionately, his eyes showed her that he meant every word.

"I believe you," her voice broke as a new wave of tears hit her. Happy tears.

His hand slipped around the back of her neck to pull her lips into his. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of his lips on hers. Suddenly the world clicked into place and she knew without a doubt that she'd be happy.

Her arms wrapped around his waist to pull him closer and his other hand wound its way into her hair. His lips nudged hers open and he tilted her head so he could deepen the kiss.

She was so lost in him that she almost didn't notice when he pulled away. Her lips immediately missed the contact and her eyes flew open to figure out why he pulled away. His hands stilled in her hair and slid down her back to her hips. His eyes were intent on her stomach. They glanced up into her eyes before gazing back at her flat tummy. His hands moved from her hips and settled on the smooth surface of her stomach.

Tears welled up in her eyes once more as she realized this was the moment she was robbed of so many years ago. This was the moment she finally got a second chance to relive. This was the moment she thought she'd never see again. This was the moment she'd spent five years dreaming about.

"You're having a baby," he said, wonder coloring his voice.

Her chin quivered at the love in his eyes when he spoke.

"I'm having a baby," she repeated in a shaky whisper.

"There's a baby in there," he said, his eyes still lit up, "_My_ baby is in there."

The combination of hearing him call the baby his and seeing the tears he was desperately holding back finally break free did her in. A triumphant smile and steady tears covered her face as her fingers moved to intertwine with his over her stomach.

His eyes finally left her stomach and bore intensely into hers. His cerulean eyes were swimming with tears and emotion. She faintly wondered if she was in a dream. It all seemed so perfect. It wasn't a dream, this was the moment she'd been fighting for. Suddenly all the pain of the past few weeks, even the past years, was worth it.

"I love you," he said quietly, but his voice rang with strength.

She untangled one of her hands from his to cup his cheek, "I love you, too."

He wrapped his hands around the small of her back to pull her close and press his lips against hers. The kiss was deep and full of passion and love. It was perfection.

She pulled away after a few short moments to open her front door and pull Damon inside with her. She never broke eye contact with him as she led him up her stairs. On the top landing he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her to his body. She automatically wrapped her legs around his middle as he carried her the rest of the way to the bedroom.

Their clothes were shed quickly and when there was nothing separating them, he connected them in the most intimate way. They whispered words of love and each other's names into the others skin as he moved above her. She met his every move with as much passion as she could muster. His hands cupped her face as he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against hers. The more they moved, the tighter they clung to one another until they were both thrown over the edge and into the blissful darkness. Her legs wrapped around his waist to hold him on top of her as they both caught their breath.

He rolled them over so he could tuck her in the crook of his arm and listened as her breathing evened and she fell asleep.

She woke up a while later because she could no longer feel the warmth of Damon next to her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was right, he was gone. She gingerly got out of bed and wrapped herself in her robe. She padded across the soft carpet and peeked into her hallway. With one glance in the hallway she knew exactly where he was.

She quietly opened the door to the dimly lit nursery. He was standing over the crib in his boxers with his back to her. She stood in the doorway just watching him. She admired the way his muscles flexed and relaxed in the dim light. She finally tore her gaze from Damon's bare back and took a long look around the small room. For the first time the room didn't feel like it was suffocating or that the walls were closing in. For once, being in that room felt right.

As if he sensed her presence, he turned to face her. She could see the conflict in his eyes. In the silence she crossed the room, tangled her hand in his, and looked down at the empty crib. The crib that never got to see the child that it was meant for.

"I wish I got to meet her," his quiet voice broke through the stillness of the room.

"Me too," she replied after taking a deep breath.

"Do you feel like the universe has given us a second chance?" He asked, his voice shaking a little.

"Ya, I do," she answered quietly.

"We'll get it right this time," he whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Ya, we will."

* * *

><p>"For the first time," the MC's voice rang through the speakers, "I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore!"<p>

Damon and Elena came through the doors of the ballroom hand in hand to a cheering audience. They weaved through the smiling faces and right onto the dance floor for their first official dance as husband and wife.

"How are you enjoying your first day as Mrs. Salvatore?" Damon asked, his lips next to her ear and his warm breath leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"I'm loving it, Mr. Salvatore," she giggle back.

They gracefully spun around the floor until the song ended and Elena felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Stefan smiling at her. She immediately went into his arms as the next song came on over the speakers.

"You look awful happy," Elena smiled at him. He tried to hide a smile, but failed miserably.

"I am happy. My brother just married his soul mate and-"

"And you have the glow of an expecting parent," Elena finished for him, her smile growing wider.

"I should've never given Damon all that crap about being too giddy for his own good," Stefan laughed. They both glanced over to a very pregnant Caroline who was chatting the ear off of whoever would listen.

"Someone else wanted to dance with you," she turned when she heard Damon's voice behind her. She turned to see her husband with his shining blue eyes holding their baby girl.

"Hi my baby Brynn," Elena cooed as she lifted the baby girl out of her father's arms. She started swaying to the music as Damon wrapped his arms around the both of them and settled his hands on Elena's waist.

The little family swayed to the music until the MC announced it was time for dinner. Bonnie came up to Elena to take Brynn from her. Everyone in the room was served their dinner and ate with happy chatter filling the room.

A tinkling sound hushed the small crowd of people as Stefan stood up with a microphone in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other.

"Hello everyone," Stefan started as everyone quieted down, "Most of you know me, but for those that do not, I'm Stefan, Damon's favorite little brother."

"You're my only little brother," Damon called out, "You win by default!"

The room filled with laughter at the brothers' antics and Stefan waited for them to quiet before he continued.

"As I was saying," he shot a pointed look at Damon, "Damon is my big brother and I wouldn't trade him for anything. He has been there for me through so many ups and downs in our lifetime that I don't think I could ever repay him. Everyone in here knows that story of Damon and Elena and know that they went through so much to get to where they are now. I'm so glad I can finally say that the journey was worth it. Elena, you are the sister I always wanted. I love you like you were already a part of my family. Not to mention you gave me the cutest niece a guy could ask for. Here's to Damon and Elena."

Stefan finished his toast raising his hand in the air while everyone in the room mimicked his actions and drank from their glasses.

Bonnie stood and handed Brynn off to Caroline before taking the microphone from Stefan.

"Elena and I have been friends for our whole lives," Bonnie started, "We met in the sandbox, both got picked on in middle school, gossiped about boys through high school, and stood by each other all through college. Elena was the one who was there for me my whole life. She stood up to bullies that pulled my hair and she was my shoulder to cry on when I got dumped for the first time. We have been through a lot of heavy moments in our short lives, but our friendship always weathered the storm, even got stronger because of it. Elena doesn't do anything halfway, school, work, love. She does them all with one hundred percent dedication and only when something is worth it will she commit to it. That is how I knew Damon was a man that deserved Elena because she'd never marry him if he wasn't. To Elena and Damon, may they live a long and happy life together."

The crowd raised their glasses once more and took another drink of the champagne before the band started playing and the dance floor opened up. Damon spent most of the time dancing with his baby girl, twirling around on the floor and watching her laugh. Elena watched from the corner of the dance floor and tears stung her eyes at how his eyes lit up every time he looked at their daughter. Her heart swelled at the love in their tiny family.

The last song of the evening came on and Damon approached Elena with Brynn in his arms. They danced just as they did earlier and Elena had never felt happier.

"I'm going to miss her so much," she said to Damon.

"We're only going to be gone three days," Damon chuckled at her sad expression.

"I know, but this is the first time she'll be without both of us for more than a night," she sighed, giving her baby a kiss on her head.

"She'll be fine, she's got Bonnie and Stefan and Caroline sharing her for the next three days. She'll be spoiled to no end," Damon laughed, brushing a hand over Brynn's head before leaning over her and placing a kiss on Elena's lips.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you so much, both of you," Damon said emotionally and she could see his eyes shining with tears.

In that moment she knew that they'd be happy for the rest of their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>TEARS! Tears everywhere! I am so attached to this story and I'm so sad to see it end! It's been a wonderful ride and I thank every one of you who took the time to read this. That's why I wrote it. Thank you all who reviewed, your words meant so much to me and have kept me going this whole time. I really hope you are all pleased with the ending, it just felt so right and so perfect for them. <strong>

** Keep an eye on my LJ princessme385 (dot) livejournal (cot) com for updates and for previews of upcoming fics. I have the first chapter of one of my next fics posted and I'll be posting the first chapter of a second fic soon! Thanks again for reading and reviewing! You guys have made all the work that went into this worth it.**

**Your reviews for this last chapter will be so appreciated, I can't wait to see how you all liked the ending! **


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